


Find Me

by chidoriXblossom



Category: Thunderbirds
Genre: M/M, Thunderbirds are Go! - Freeform, gay virgil
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:47:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 25,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26112862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chidoriXblossom/pseuds/chidoriXblossom
Summary: When a mission goes wrong Virgil is ripped away from his family in an abrupt accident.  Those who love him do all they can to find him and hopefully bring him home.
Relationships: Virgil Tracy/Original Character(s), Virgil Tracy/Ray Swanson
Comments: 126
Kudos: 86





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The first chapter of what I'm anticipating will be a fairly long fic. Based in the His Type universe, though Ray has yet to make an appearance.
> 
> A combination of requests from weirdburketeer, drileyf and gumnut on tumblr.

The rain was battering off Thunderbird Two’s hull as she lowered her rescue rigging to evacuate the last group of passengers from the stricken train in southern India. International Rescue had been called out when heavy rain had washed debris from above down onto the track, which clung to the side of a steep valley wall. Below it a river, swollen and raging from a flash flood as the clouds refused to cease their relentless downpour.

John had control of Thunderbird Two from orbit while his three brothers worked on site. The train had been damaged by rockfall, so while Gordon got the scared passengers secured, Alan surveyed the slope below the line in the mountain pod and Virgil cleared the debris from the track with his exosuit. A rescue train would be along later to recover the damaged one and tow it to the nearest depot.

Thunder rumbled above them over the steady roar of Two’s VTOL and the rain got heavier. The bad weather was seriously slowing them down and they couldn’t wait to get home.

 _“Ugh, what I’d give to be in Scott’s position right about now,”_ Alan grumbled over the comms.

Virgil glanced in his little brother’s direction as he dropped a rock over the edge of the railway line. “What, stuck at home grounded?”

 _“It’s gotta be better than this,”_ Alan replied. _“This place is so muddy even the pod is slipping. Meanwhile Scott is tucked up in bed nice and cozy.”_

Virgil rolled his eyes and heaved up another rock to move. “You’ve no right to complain, Alan. Our suits are all waterproof, and at least you’re sheltered in there.”

A grumble came back to him and Virgil knew he’d made his point. Alan was just a little grouchy because today he was supposed to start his allocated vacation time, but Scott’s health had seen that put on hold when the eldest Tracy had nearly collapsed from exhaustion the previous evening. Virgil had ordered immediate bedrest and asked Alan to hang on for a couple more days, just to give Scott a chance to get back on his feet. 

_“That’s the last of the passengers secured, Virgil,”_ Gordon’s voice came in next.

“F.A.B. Take them to the drop off zone and then come back for us. We’re nearly done here.” With Scott at home, Virgil was mission commander. “John, can you inform the GDF that this line will need to be closed until further notice. I’m not happy about some of these foundations along here.”

 _“Already on it,”_ his space dwelling brother replied. _“Colonel Casey says she’ll have repair teams sent out as soon as the weather clears.”_

Virgil finally got the last of the debris shifted and moved to check on Alan’s progress again. The pod was sliding around like a drunk ant on ice. Every time Alan tried to find a secure foothold the pod would slip and churn up more of the sodden ground into slick mud.

“Alan, use your grapple,” Virgil instructed. “You’re sliding too far down.”

 _“I can manage,”_ the youngest snapped back. He was clearly frustrated but Virgil didn’t take the attitude to heart. This had been far from the easiest mission, purely down to the terrible conditions. He was in no mood for arguments though.

“Just do it.” Like Alan, he just wanted to go home.

There was another grumble over the comms and finally the grapple at the front of the pod fired. It lodged itself into a rock just beneath the railway line and the winch started to pull the mud clad piece of machinery back up the slope. 

Virgil secured his own line and lowered himself down to another rock, ready to help if Alan had any further trouble. “That’s it. Nice and easy on the winch.”

 _“Virgil, will you stop micromanaging me,”_ Alan complained, and it instantly made Virgil frown. _“I know what I’m doing.”_

“I’m just looking out for you, Alan.” Patience. He’s tired. He doesn’t mean it.

 _“Well, I don’t need you to.”_ The winch whirred as Alan increased the speed, which caused the nose of the pod to dip and start dragging along the slope. A protruding rock got caught up underneath and the pod jolted to a stop. The winch started to jump as it strained.

“Alan, stop.”

_“It’ll work!”_

“No, it won’t. There’s too much pressure.”

_“Will you just back off!”_

The winch failed. With a metallic ping something in the mechanism gave way, the cable went slack and the pod went sliding back down towards the raging water.

“Alan!”

Virgil threw himself off the rock he’d been perched on and slid after his younger brother. As Alan fought for control and purchase Virgil could only pray that his own safety line was long enough. He reached out for the pod and caught the winch bracket with the jaws of life, then squeezed the control in his left hand and applied the brake to his safety line. 

The pod’s slide eased off, it’s weight held by the exosuit and Virgil’s hand controls. He grunted against the strain and willed his grip to hold firm.

 _“Virgil!”_ Alan’s voice sounded alarmed in his ears, the moody edge gone.

Virgil hissed out a breath through his teeth. “I can’t hold it. You’ll have to climb out.”

The canopy opened and Alan pushed the harness up, allowing him to clamber out of the seat and onto the nose of the pod. Everything lurched as the brake on Virgil’s line slipped. The exosuit was strong and solidly built, but the safety line wasn’t designed for this much weight. The pod was going to drag them both down with it.

Virgil tried desperately to dig his heels into the thick mud under him, but the deep treads of his boots were packed full and rendered useless in this terrain.

Familiar VTOL roared overhead and suddenly Thunderbird Two was directly above them, her rescue rig hanging from her belly and lowering towards them. _“Hang on, guys,”_ Gordon’s voice called out through comms.

Virgil’s line lurched again. “Alan, jump.”

Determination flashed in those bright blue eyes and his little brother did as he was told. In an instant Virgil felt the smaller body collide with him and Alan’s hands grasped at his green baldric for purchase. With a relieved breath Virgil released the pod and let it sag in the mud as Two’s rig came within reach.

“Okay, up you go.” With the weight of the pod gone Virgil felt a lot more confident in his safety line, so he lifted the bulky right arm of his exosuit up to help his little brother and managed to clamp it to the edge of the rigging. “Hold it steady, Thunderbird Two.”

His arms felt tired and heavy as he lay there on his back, one stretched out above his head holding his line and the other suspended towards his beloved ‘bird. His hands were near cramping with the exertion. 

He didn’t notice the pod’s tangled winch cable hooking around his foot until it was too late.

The instant Alan reached out and caught hold of the rigging the pod toppled over the edge of the muddy slope and was swallowed by the water. The cable pulled tight, sharp and sudden and Virgil went with it, swiped out from under Alan without warning. His impressive strength was nothing against the force of mother nature and he was dragged down the bank with no way of stopping.

Shit, shit, shit!

 _“Virgil!”_ He heard Alan’s shout as he tried to get his leg free, but then the ground disappeared from under him and the sickening sensation of falling overwhelmed him. The last thing he saw was the green of Two’s underbelly and the dark grey of the clouds, and then the water swallowed him whole. A filthy brown filled his vision, frothy with the force. Virgil was dragged, thrown and tumbled violently within the thundering swell, utterly powerless and overwhelmed by the noise and painful abuse on his body. 

Fear took hold. 

He didn’t see the surface again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. Such amazing feedback from you wonderful peeps already. Here is chapter 2 as thanks for that. Hope it's okay.

Scott ambled downstairs towards the kitchen after enjoying a hot shower and making sure his hair was perfect. Normally up and about at 6 AM sharp, it felt odd to only just be emerging from his rooms at close to 10:30. He hadn’t been for his usual run this morning which normally threw off his mood for the rest of the day, but for once he found himself not minding.

He’d desperately needed the sleep. Twelve glorious uninterrupted hours. John had silenced the comms so he wouldn’t be disturbed, probably at Virgil’s suggestion, and Scott was definitely feeling the benefit of it now.

He’d received an audio update from John while he’d been in the shower to inform him that their brothers were out on a rescue. Kayo was on standby and Grandma had just returned to the island with Ray.

Oh yeah, he was coming out for a visit this week. Scott couldn’t believe he’d almost forgotten - Virgil had been super excited and eagerly counting down the days since last Friday. It had been rather endearing to witness. Knowing that his sensitive brother had finally found happiness with someone made Scott happier than he’d ever admit out loud.

Scott hit the bottom of the stairs and found his brother’s boyfriend in the kitchen with Grandma. Ray still had his bag over his shoulder, having obviously not made it up to Virgil’s room yet, but he seemed preoccupied as he watched Grandma raking around in one of the wall cabinets.

God, Scott hoped she wasn’t about to torture them with another batch of cookies. He wanted this good morning feeling to last as long as possible, and didn’t fancy the idea of being poisoned.

“Morning,” he greeted. He hoped his arrival might distract her.

The two looked over at him and Ray sent a cheerful smile in Scott’s direction. “Hi, Scott. How’s it going?”

Scott shrugged. “Not bad. Just enjoying the peace and quiet while it lasts.”

The conversation came easily. After all the misunderstanding and bad feeling between them when Ray and Virgil had first got involved the two had mended their bridges and now got on very well. Virgil had been so relieved, and Scott would even go as far as to consider Ray a friend now. He certainly trusted him enough.

“Virgil has Gordon and Alan out with him on a rescue, by the way,” he mentioned, just in case the physio hadn’t already been told.

Ray gave a nod of his head. “Any idea when they’ll be back?”

“Not yet. I’m about to check in with John though.” Scott smiled. “No doubt Virgil will push Two’s engines when he hears you’re already here.”

Ray smiled back at that, but before he could reply some movement caught Scott’s eyes and he turned his head. Grandma had abandoned her search for her dreaded baking tray and was walking his way. Scott tracked her as she stopped in front of him. Her small hand reached up to touch his cheek, warm and delicate. Scott leaned into it ever so slightly.

“How are you feeling?” Eyes as blue as his own stared up at him with nothing but love and concern. It put him at ease. Not that he’d been feeling stressed or anxious beforehand, but Scott always enjoyed these quiet little moments with his grandmother. They were so few and far between these days. International Rescue took up almost all his time and energy.

“I’m okay, Grandma,” he answered her quietly. “A lot better than last night.”

His words seemed to be enough as she smiled and let her hand slip away. “Sometimes sleep is the best medicine.” A twinkle appeared in her eyes. “But don’t think you’re skipping breakfast, young man.” And she was turning back towards the cabinet. “I’ll make you something.”

Oh crap.

“That’s okay, Grandma,” he said quickly, and caught a glimpse of Ray trying to hide a smirk behind his hand. He had been quick to learn that their descriptions of Grandma’s cooking were no exaggerations. “I’ll just grab something light and head up. I want to check in on the mission.”

The familiar tone of an incoming call from Thunderbird Five chimed through the air and Scott took the opportunity to make a quick escape, breakfast forgotten as he trotted back up the stairs to the lounge. John’s image flickered into existence in the middle of the room.

“Hey, John. Got any updates?”

_“Scott, you’re up.”_ John looked relieved. _“Gordon just evacuated the last of the passengers from the train. Once they’ve got everything sorted they'll be heading back.”_

“F.A.B. Let Virgil know that Ray is here, okay? And thank Alan for standing in for me today. I know he’s supposed to be on break.”

A nod. _“Will do, once he stops being a moody teenager.”_

A chuckle. “That’s wishful thinking, Thunderbird Five.”

Gordon’s hologram suddenly appeared beside his space brother. _“John! Virgil’s gone in the water!”_

Scott snapped to attention.

_“What?!”_ In an instant John’s hands started to move in a mad flurry across invisible controls. _“I’m scanning for his emergency locator.”_ Those turquoise eyes flicked back and forth. _“There’s too much interference.”_

Alan’s voice came through, shrill and terrified. _“He’s gone! The pod dragged him in! I can’t see him!”_

Scott shot up off the couch. “Thunderbird Two, report!”

_“I’ve got no visuals. Debris in the water is throwing everything off.”_ Gordon sounded scared. It took a lot to unsettle the former W.A.S.P. operative. _“No sign of his signal. I repeat, that’s a negative.”_

Scott felt that fear spread into his own body. His blood ran cold.

Virgil…

No… No, no, no, no!

“Scott?”

The eldest Tracy son turned and found ocean blue and olive green eyes staring at them. His grandmother and brother’s partner had joined him in the lounge and were both frozen in place on the hardwood floor. Grandma looked pale. Ray was somewhere between worried and confused.

“What’s wrong?” he asked. Scott heard the nervous tremor in his voice. “What happened?”

Scott dug deep for a strength that only came from experience. He didn’t have time to give comfort or reassurance. His training kicked in, a shield of professionalism to protect his terrified heart as worst case scenarios started to push their way to the forefront of his mind. He refused to yield to them. He would not lose focus.

John and Gordon’s images disappeared and were replaced by live footage of a swollen river raging down the valley where the rescue had taken place. Even from above it was clear just how steep the slope was, how badly churned up the ground was, and how fast the water was flowing.

_“I can’t see him, I can’t see him!”_ Alan yelled.

Scott heard his grandmother gasp. “Virgil?”

A thud as Ray’s bag hit the floor.

Scott moved towards his launch chute. “I’m on my way.” He turned and pressed his back to the wall panel. “I’ll find him.”

As he reached for the lamps Ray rushed over to him. “I’m coming too.”

Scott stared. “Absolutely not.”

Ray’s eyes turned sharp and the look honestly caught Scott off guard. A fierce determination that reminded him so much of Virgil locked him in place. “I wasn’t asking. I want to help.”

There was no time to argue. Scott had to launch now. Virgil was already in the water, and they had no way of knowing how far he’d been carried or if he had been injured. Going by the footage the chances were high. Hopefully Virgil’s suit would offer him some protection, but flash floods were unpredictable and the waters deadly. Every second counted.

Scott frowned. Terror threatened to grip him, but he fought back against it and made his decision. “Grandma, show him to the secondary chute.” Determined blue locked with intense olive. A silent understanding passed between them in an instant. “We launch in 50 seconds.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3 coming soon. Already looking forward to writing it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually finished this chapter well before midnight lol. That means I can get started on the next one tonight. Hope you're still enjoying.

Ray felt like his world had come crashing in around him. Virgil was missing. Virgil. The brave and selfless pilot of the incredible Thunderbird Two. The seemingly unstoppable force that was the man he loved.

_His Virgil._

When Ray had seen the footage of the swell that had stolen his partner away he’d felt fear right down to his bones. It was a raging torrent of power and destruction, all brown water, mangled trees and uncontrollable energy.

Nothing could stop it. Virgil was just one tiny human compared to nature’s rage.

One tiny human who meant so, so much.

The whine beneath the intense roar of Thunderbird One’s engines was high and loud. Ray had been in the craft a few times, but he’d never heard her wail like this. Up front Scott was clearly pushing her to the max, his anxious tension shivering through the air within her fuselage as though they were a single entity.

Ray remained quiet as the Commander rattled through all the information Thunderbird Five could throw at him. Weather fronts and calculations of speed and mass of the water. Scans of the danger zone and immediately downstream for any signs of landslides or hazardous obstacles. A list of local authorities who were stepping in to aid in the search. Suitable landing locations for Thunderbirds One and Two. 

The final telemetry from the pod and Virgil’s exosuit before they’d both disappeared…

Ray hunched as much as his harness would allow and clasped his gloved hands together. Brains had appeared and provided him with a spare suit in the mad dash to launch, a green version of the same style Ray had seen the engineer wearing before. 

Green.

Virgil’s favourite colour.

Ray shut his eyes and bowed his head. He wasn’t a religious man, preferring to put his faith in his own abilities and experiences and let them guide him forward in the world. But in this instant, in this exact moment where he didn’t know whether Virgil was still alive or not, Ray would pray to any higher power that might exist and plead for his partner’s safe return.

Please… Please, don’t take him. Don’t take him away.

“We’ll be touching down in three minutes.” Scott’s words brought Ray back to himself and he looked up. He couldn’t see much from the back seat, but it wasn’t hard to picture the frown on Scott’s face. His voice was strong and steady, his shoulders set and his manipulation of One’s controls confident and unwavering.

Ray meanwhile felt like a shivering wreck who was barely keeping it together. He felt sick with worry and fear over what they might find when they arrived… Or not find.

How did Scott do it? How did he maintain his composure under such grave circumstances, when it was one of his own brothers who was missing?

Did that strength come naturally to him, or had he been forced to learn the hard way?

Remembering the loss of Colonel Jeff Tracy all those years ago and the waves of news coverage that had followed the incident, Ray realised it was probably the latter. Scott was strong because he had to be. His wealth and social standing within society aside, life had not been kind to him or his family. Tragedy could strike anyone. It was non-discriminatory. 

The respect Ray held for Scott distracted him from his thoughts of Virgil until they landed, and then he watched as the eldest Tracy stepped down out of his ship and immediately took charge of the situation.

By the time Ray had climbed down the ladders and touched the muddy ground of the quarry car park they’d landed in, Alan and Gordon were standing before their brother and updating him on anything John might have missed.

“Scott… This is all my fault.” Alan was understandably upset, but his reasons for pinning all the blame on himself were unknown to Ray, who was left to speculate. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for--”

“Later, Alan.” Scott spoke to him like a commanding officer, not an older brother. “For now we have a rescue mission to focus on. There’s no time to waste.”

Ray turned his attention away to give the brothers some privacy, but stayed in case Scott had any instructions for him. He would do whatever he could to help. Of course he would. That was why he’d insisted on coming.

His eyes tracked out across the carpark and landed on Thunderbird Two who was sitting on the far side. Her nose was pointed in the direction of the river, where Ray could hear the roar of the water.

Likely coincidence, but it almost seemed as though the great green ship was looking out to where her pilot had disappeared of her own accord, as if hoping to locate him and have him return to her.

The thought hurt and Ray swallowed.

Virgil…

Please be okay.

~*~

Scott flew One up and down the river from the accident site for over three hours. He checked every bifurcation, followed every distributary, surveyed each area that had been flooded and hovered over every river island he found.

There was nothing. 

The water level had begun to drop but it was still higher than usual, and some debris was only just starting to breach the surface of the fast flowing water. It was going to be a real mess once everything calmed down again, but Scott didn’t care.

His brother was still missing. Not a word from him over the comms. No ping from his emergency locator.

Just...nothing.

The longer they went without a sign, the worse their chances of finding him became. Scott was terrified every time he went back to recheck an area when scans indicated the water was draining away. Terrified he would see the green and blue of his brother lying limp somewhere along the bank.

Broken...

Lifeless…

He landed Thunderbird One in a hurry and staggered out as bile rushed up his esophagus. The helmet came off and before he could even check that no one was around he threw up in a nearby bush.

Stop! Stop thinking like that! Now was not the time.

John’s concerned voice came through enquiring about his condition, having no doubt received a readout from Scott’s suit with the sudden spike of his heart rate.

A flick to his radio and Scott cut off comms, allowing himself one precious moment to be alone with his thoughts and just think.

He staggered away from the bush and moved to the river bank, upon which he spotted a rock protruding several feet above the surface. A few careful breaths to settle his system and then one quick burst from his jetpack had him landing on the rock, surrounded by water on all sides.

He had to focus again. Calm down. Listen. Watch. Reach out with all his senses and centre himself. Stay in control. 

Everyone was working hard under his instructions, doing their part to find his missing brother, just as they would if it were anyone else. Locals combed the banks now that the flood waters had dropped to a safer level. A major cleanup was underway and traffic was being diverted to give any rescue and aid vehicles a clear route. Some of the people his brother had helped save had returned to offer their services.

Scott had to keep his mind on track. He couldn’t afford to let his fears get the better of him. They all had to pull together if they were going to find Virgil. There would be time for feelings and any unresolved issues later.

A breath and he swallowed, then squared his shoulders. 

He’d lost his mother to an avalanche and his father to an explosion. But this river would not take his brother from him. Not forever. He would find Virgil and he would bring him back safe. They would return home and Scott would once again be able to listen as his brother brushed his fingers over the smooth ivories of their mother’s piano.

Virgil would be there, just as he’d always been.

Scott had to believe that.

“I’ll find you, Virgil.” The words were for him and him alone, but also a direct challenge to the river that was now considered the enemy. “I swear I will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks as always for the reviews and support, guys. You keep me going and it means so much.
> 
> Next chapter coming soon.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another day, another chapter. I'm on a roll.

Cold. Numbness. Discomfort. Confusion.

Being asleep had been a lot nicer. He’d like to go back to that. Asleep there had been nothing. It was easy and it was comfortable.

A moment passed and then he started to wonder why he’d been asleep in the first place. This wasn’t his bed. His bed was always warm, his duvet just the right weight over his body and his pillows fluffed up perfectly for him to snuggle into.

What he felt under his left temple now was hard. Padded, but definitely not his pillow. His helmet? Had he fallen asleep in Two’s cockpit again? Scott was going to lecture him for that.

Ugh, he felt a bit sick.

And his face was wet.

…

Wait...what?

Virgil fought against the weird sluggishness that was weighing down his whole body and somehow managed to get his eyes to open.

A slow blink. Then a second and a third.

The world that greeted him was not one he recognised. It was dark. He wouldn’t have been able to see a thing if the external lights mounted to the side of his helmet hadn’t been on. The two small beams pierced the darkness, illuminating wet rock and a gnarled old tree.

The gravity of the situation started to sink in.

His helmet had water in it. Not a lot, but he could feel his chin and cheek resting in it. Grit and slime too. It didn’t smell great and tasted even worse. There was a sizable crack in his visor, and a small hole towards the bottom. 

That explained where the water had got in.

A cough forced its way up his throat and instantly threatened to rip him open. His right side spasmed with a sharp pain that was only aggravated by his deeper breaths. Virgil knew that feeling. Broken ribs.

The pain gave him something new to focus on and brought with it some clarity. Neurons that had been out of commission up until now started to fire again. Connections were made. Some functions and reasoning returned.

Virgil was in a world of hurt.

He lay there and focussed on breathing. Mind sluggish. Body heavy and frigid with the cold. His uniform was compromised. He could feel the material of his inner suit clinging to his body like a second skin. He was drenched from head to toe.

And there was pain. So much pain. Too much and everywhere, it all merged together and made individual injuries difficult to pinpoint.

It wasn’t until he tried to move that he realised he was being weighed down by his exosuit. Through some miracle it had stayed attached to him as he’d been washed away and pummeled by rocks and God knows what else, though only his left arm was still hooked in. But it had protected him from the worst - blows that would likely have been fatal had it not been for the suit taking the brunt of all that abuse.

His gear had probably saved his life, but now all it was doing was keeping him down. He was trapped beneath the metal frame like it was a cage, his body too weak to shift it off and allow him to crawl out. The claws of the left arm were tangled up in the branches of the tree. 

That explained how he hadn’t been carried further by the raging torrent at least.

That’s right… The flash flood. The rescue he’d been called out to with his brothers. The train full of frightened passengers and the appalling weather conditions. Alan nearly sliding into the river as the pod struggled for traction.

Virgil took a breath and whimpered. He was in so much pain, but it was better than his little brother suffering this fate. He’d seen Alan grab onto Two’s rescue rigging. He knew he was safe.

That was the most important thing.

Time slipped by beyond his current level of comprehension. His body shivered, weak as it tried to generate some warmth and deal with the shock of his ordeal. He would need to get moving. Staying where he was when there was a high chance of a secondary flood occurring was extremely dangerous, yet moving without knowing the full extent of his injuries was equally risky.

He could wriggle his toes and move his fingers, but he had no idea if he’d done any damage to his back or neck.

A swallow and then another weak cough. “John?” His voice came out raspy, more of a whisper. 

He received no answer.

His brother would be searching for him. He would have heard and responded straight away if his call for help had got through. So that meant comms had to be down. 

John couldn’t hear him. No one could. 

Virgil was alone. 

That was more terrifying than anything else.

Okay, focus. Now was not the time to despair. He had to concentrate on what he could still do for himself, by himself.

He was lying awkwardly on his right arm, with his hand pressed into the grit and mud beneath his belly. He tried moving his fingers. They worked with some reluctance and a considerable amount of discomfort. It felt like at least one was broken.

The least of his worries right now.

It took some time and a lot of pain before he finally got one of the pouches open on his baldric and was able to wriggle the medical scanner free with as little movement from him as possible. Virgil had never been more grateful to Brains for making them waterproof than he was in that moment - at least it had survived unscathed. 

Feeling around with his thumb he located the power button and pressed it, then held his breath as he heard the faint whine of the scan starting up. He wasn’t in the optimal position for the scan to be fully effective. There was supposed to be a distance of at least four inches for it to make a clear diagnosis. This would have to do.

After a long moment which felt like an eternity the scan was complete and the results were sent to his helmet. The lights swapped out for the tiny holo-emitters and projected a scan of his body within the darkness. Virgil blinked away the slight blurriness in his vision and studied the results.

His body sagged into the mud and silt beneath him.

His spine was intact. No signs of damage to vertebrae or his spinal cord. He did have two broken ribs and a few more fractured, but at least he didn’t have to worry about risking any kind of paralysis. Just pneumothorax if he wasn’t careful…

Not much of a consolation prize in his current situation, but he’d take it.

He could move. Slow and careful. 

With a little more confidence he freed his left arm from the exosuit and pulled the right out from under him. His shoulders ached and the water inside his uniform did its best to weigh him down. The world spun when he lifted his head as the mud dribbled out through the crack in his helmet visor.

The pain was intense but bearable. Virgil breathed through it as best he could. It was proof he was still alive, that the river hadn’t beaten him. He could do this. He picked a spot further up the bank he’d washed up on and got ready to crawl.

Until a whole new level of agony shot through his right leg. White hot and sharp. 

The cry that left him echoed through his surroundings and almost had him passing out. He gulped in air and swallowed against the rising bile that burned at the back of his throat.

What the hell?

He was almost scared to look. To turn and see what kind of injury he’d missed in his initial assessment. How could he not have felt this pain until now? It was overpowering everything else.

Finally the medic in him won the argument of whether or not to look and Virgil turned his head. What he saw made his heart race and stomach drop.

There, stabbed through his uniform and embedded in his thigh, was the twisted and mangled stump of a branch. Like an anchor it kept him hooked in place and threatened only further excruciating pain if he tried to disturb it.

He’d been impaled by the very tree that had dragged him to shore and saved him from drowning. A cruel twist of fate.

“No…”

He found himself breathless and his body started to shake again. How could he deal with this? One wrong move and he could bleed to death. As soon as he freed himself the wound would be unplugged.

Red had already stained the silt beneath him.

This was too much. He couldn’t handle it. He was alone, scared and badly injured. Where were his brothers? Why hadn’t they found him yet? Did they even know where he was?

His ribs throbbed as he started to hyperventilate. Black dots crept in around the edges of his vision. Fear burned away the thin layer of calm he’d tentatively wrapped around himself.

Then nothing. His brain’s survival mechanism kicked in - an attempt to save him from the shock. His consciousness left him as his body slumped once more back into the mud.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys wanted Virgil, you got him. But where? Hmm, guess you'll just have to wait a little longer to find out.
> 
> Hugs to all. Thanks for lovely comments. Chiddi loves lovely comments.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys. So this one took a little longer because I found it a bit tricky and I was also exhausted, hence me not finishing it for you yesterday. Hopefully it was worth the wait though.

They were starting to lose the light when Scott heard the unmistakable roar of a GDF flier coming in to land. Colonel Casey had already been in touch, and International Rescue would now have assistance from some of the most trusted members in her team to help them search for Virgil. A gesture that was very much appreciated, but in Scott’s eyes also somewhat expected.

How many times had he and his brothers pulled them out of the fire after all? How many times had they had to deal with the consequences of GDF screw ups? Short of the combat training and the weaponry on their aircraft, which the Thunderbirds would never possess, International Rescue were more reliable and effective than the GDF were even on their best days.

A sad truth, but a truth nonetheless.

Or was Scott being too harsh? Whatever. He didn’t care right now. Colonel Casey was providing them with additional resources, and Scott already knew where he was going to deploy them. What their tasks would be.

He would make use of everything and everyone who was at his disposal. Whatever it took to find Virgil and bring him home safe, back into the safety of his family’s embrace.

So much time had been wasted already. Precious, precious time that Virgil might not have.

After a rather heated discussion with the manager of the quarry, who had been less than impressed about all the aircraft landing in his carpark, Thunderbirds One and Two had been forced to relocate to another area. Scott had been livid. He understood that the man had a business to run and that there were loading trucks coming and going, but there had been space and the manager had been an unreasonable dipshit. 

What part of ‘life or death situation’ had he not understood?! Maybe Scott hadn’t yelled at him loud enough to get the point across.

In the end John had liaised with a local landowner and gained access to some fields on the other side of the river not far from the accident site. Now their base of operations as the search for Virgil continued, Two’s module was acting as ground control. In the middle of the floor a station had been set up and the holographic image of the area lay before him like a map he could manipulate with a single touch.

Scott had been staring at it for the last ten minutes as if it would give him the answers he was searching for. Where his brother was, his condition, and what they’d need to mount a rescue mission.

With every hour that passed the comms silence became more and more worrisome. Scott was praying the reason was just down to damaged gear.

Come on, Virgil. Where are you?

The steady clomp of military issue boots entered the module behind him and Scott glanced to the side as Colonel Casey stepped up beside him. 

“Colonel.” A barely existent nod to her and Scott’s eyes were back on the hologram, his palms starting to hurt with all the weight he was leaning on them. A hand touched his shoulder, most likely a gesture to provide comfort. He slipped out from under it and straightened to his full height.

Silence rang out between them.

He didn’t need comforting. He just needed his brother back.

“GDF forces are assisting in any clean up and aid work for those needing it further down river.” Colonel Casey’s words were clear and precise. That was what Scott wanted right now. “John is forwarding incoming distress calls to us and the appropriate emergency services.”

Scott nodded, already aware of what John was up to. It meant the pressure was off International Rescue for the moment and they could focus on their own situation. So long as nothing serious happened that only the Thunderbirds could handle then the world would be able to manage without them. 

International Rescue existed because of the Tracy brothers. All five of them. Scott was not leaving until his family unit was complete again. No matter how long it might take.

A flick of his wrist and he brought up a larger image of the river where Virgil had gone in, and a computer simulation played out before them. Virgil, represented by a green dot, was carried off down the river at such a speed that it left Scott’s stomach churning.

“There are a lot of variables, but Brains has done the calculations and come up with multiple possibilities for where he could have ended up based on flow speed, weight, buoyancy, drag and regular currents.”

Colonel Casey nodded. “Weather reports suggest there’s going to be another heavy downpour during the night. Further flood warnings have been issued.”

“I heard about that,” Scott replied. “I’m going to drop small probes from Thunderbird One once the water levels start to rise again. They’ll give us a more accurate scan and they’re all equipped with micro transmitters.” His hands balled into loose fists at his sides. “So if any of them reach Virgil he’ll be able to contact us and send his location.”

The woman beside him said nothing at that and Scott tried not to let her silence bother him.

But it did.

It  _ really _ did.

Couldn’t she see he was barely holding it together right now? There was no room for her doubts in Two’s module, or anywhere on site.

“In the meantime we’re focussing our efforts on the multiple distributaries. Gordon, Alan and Ray are out in the pods.”

At that Colonel Casey turned to look at him. “Ray’s here? On a mission site?” The surprise in her voice barely masked her disapproval. “Scott, he doesn’t have the proper training. It’s dangerous to bring a civilian into a situation like this. That’s why your father said he would never allow it.”

Something inside Scott turned cold. “My father isn’t here, Colonel.” The words came out low but sharp. Scott respected the woman a great deal and he’d learned a lot from her in his younger years, but he was the commander of this rescue and it was one of his own brother’s lives at stake.

“Ray was available and begged me to let him help. I’ll never turn away someone like that when I know I can trust them.”

He saw the Colonel’s eyes assessing him and the subtle straightening of her spine. “As long as you understand that you’re inviting further risk,” she replied with a level voice, not backing down from his curt attitude or superior height in the slightest - just as he expected of her. “If anything were to happen to him and the press got wind of it I don’t know if I’d be able to protect you from the fallout. My reach only goes so far.”

Scott grunted and swiped away the hologram, then moved to pick up his helmet. “That’s a risk I’m willing to take, and so is he. I’m not asking for your protection, Colonel, just your help until Virgil is found.” He marched out of the module and headed towards his ship just in time for the rain to start again. It tapped a sombre rhythm on One’s hull as she lowered her pilot’s chair upon his approach.

“Scott.” 

A hand caught his shoulder from behind. He didn’t turn but he did wait to listen, out of respect for the Colonel and what she’d done to help and support them over the years. 

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought up your father in this.” Her words were honest and regretful. She didn’t need to ask his forgiveness though. The logical part of him understood her words loud and clear. “I just worry about you boys. You’re like family to me, and you’ve all worked so hard to make International Rescue a success.”

Her hand slipped away, releasing him if he chose to go. “The world needs you, so please don’t do anything that might jeopardize your father’s legacy.”

Those words only made Scott more determined. International Rescue may have been the brainchild of the mighty Jeff Tracy, but his legacy was his five sons. Five. Not four. Scott would do whatever he considered necessary to ensure it remained that way, even if it meant going against some of his father’s carefully set out rules.

Ray may lack the training or experience in this kind of situation, but he was a willing and able body who was as desperate to find Virgil as the rest of them. That meant something to Scott, and he would make use of it. 

He resumed his walk to Thunderbird One and climbed into his chair, upon which he spared the Colonel a glance before he was lifted up into his ship’s cockpit.

They would undoubtedly be having another talk about this whole situation again later, but for now Scott had another air survey to complete and probes to drop.

Virgil was counting on him.

Everything else could wait. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, big thanks for reading and any reviews I get. I'm battling some pretty gnarly depression atm, but you guys always raise my spirits.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter kicked my butt, but I hope it makes sense and was worth the wait.

When Scott sent them out in the pods Ray teamed up with Alan. The youngest Tracy had been quiet all day, and Ray’s instincts told him that there was more to it than Virgil’s disappearance. Alan’s normally electric blue eyes were dull and listless. The usual youthful exuberance that made him shine like the sun was completely absent. It was like it had been snuffed out. 

He performed his duties expertly, his operation of the pod was superb, and no one could have accused him of not being thorough or professional as he followed continuous instructions forwarded to him from Scott by John.

Direct contact from the Commander was limited over comms. Scott was only interested in hearing if they had any news or findings of significance. Everything else, from status reports to queries about the ever changing weather patterns were communicated between them via Thunderbird Five.

The eye in the sky saw everything, as was his role, but even he could not track down Virgil.

They landed on the outskirts of a small village when a notification came through from the GDF that needed their immediate attention, and Alan was out the pod and bounding down the banking before Ray even got his harness off. 

The mud and saturated grass squelched beneath his feet. More rain was on the way and it would only hinder their efforts further. It may even cause a second flood.

“Where did you find this?” Alan’s voice cut through Ray’s thoughts as he reached the bottom of the slope and approached, seeing the youngest Tracy talking to two GDF personnel and a couple of locals. 

“It was caught in some of the debris at the edge of the bank.” Ray vaguely realised one of the GDF was acting as a translator for the locals as they pointed towards the river in the fading light. “They said there’s an alcove underneath where things often get trapped, so they checked it for us.” 

Ray’s heart was in his mouth. The thought of Virgil being tangled up under a banking, hidden from sight… He shook his head and forced the thought from his mind.

No. He was alive. Ray would not give up hope.

He would hold Virgil in his arms again, and Virgil would hold him back.

He was certain.

“And there was nothing else?” Alan again. “Are there more of these hidden alcoves or anything?”

“That’s the only one they’ve mentioned, but they’re going to keep looking.”

Ray saw Alan’s head dip in a single nod. The teen was holding something in his hands but Ray couldn’t see it from where he was. He’d deliberately hung back a little so as to not intrude or potentially get in the way. He wasn’t a part of International Rescue after all. He had no training for this. There could be complications if word got out that he was here at all - Scott had suggested that much on the flight over in Thunderbird One.

“Thank them for their efforts and continued support. I’ll notify Scott and Colonel Casey.” And then Alan was turning away and heading back up towards the pod with that something still clutched tightly in his hands. 

Something green.

“Alan?” Ray went after him and matched his pace. He took notice of how pale Alan was through his visor. Then the green caught his eye again and he looked down.

Virgil’s shoulder torch. Ray recognised it from the photo hanging in the lounge on Tracy Island, and the glimpses he’d caught of his boyfriend in his uniform. Virgil had told him once that it was a unique piece of kit he and Brains had designed together, perfectly suited to match his skill set and requirements while out on missions.

Now the proud green was scuffed and covered in dirt. Its trip down the river had clearly been violent. It could have detached at any point. Virgil could have been carried further down river, or maybe got stuck back upstream. The discovery of his torch told them nothing.

And that hurt so much.

Ray felt utterly powerless. Wasn’t there anything he could do? Any way he could contribute beyond following Alan around as the young genius continued his tireless search?

They reached the pod and Alan stopped abruptly. His hands tightened and wrung themselves around the torch. Ray stopped with him and saw his lips thin. Those eyes were wide with fear.

“We’ll find him, right?”

It was almost a whisper, soft and vulnerable, but came through loud and clear over the comms in Ray’s helmet. He laid a hand on Alan’s narrow shoulder. No hesitation. No room for doubt.

“Of course we will. We just need to keep looking.”  A gentle squeeze. “Let me help you. Don’t shoulder this all on your own.” 

The younger man shifted and Ray half expected his hand to be brushed away, but instead Alan turned fully to face him. Blue stared up and locked their gazes, haunted and slightly glassy. Ray got a good look at eyes that had seen far too much for Alan’s young years. He was still just a kid.

The life of a hero was not all it was hyped up to be. Regular people had no idea. Too many put too much pressure on a boy who should have been living a carefree life with nothing to worry about except his grades in high school.

But again, this was the life the Tracys had chosen. Alan was no different from his brothers in that regard, and Ray found him remarkable for that. 

Only now some of Alan’s doubts and uncertainties were starting to show, and with the rest of his brothers caught up in their desperate search, he had no one to turn to.

No one but Ray himself. The older man only hoped Alan felt comfortable enough around him to let him in. This rescue mission was all about Virgil, but Alan was clearly hurting and Ray had to be there for him. It was what Virgil would do, and ask of him.

Virgil was always so proud of his little brother. 

Those thin lips parted. Alan drew in a breath.

“This--”

_ “Alan, my scans show that you’ve been stationary for several minutes. What’s the situation?” _ John’s voice.

Alan closed his eyes briefly and Ray could practically see the walls coming back up, the professional assertiveness and confidence that mirrored Scott’s clear in the teenager’s frame once again. He turned away and Ray found his brief opportunity to help the youngest brother gone. To provide an ear to listen and a shoulder to lean on.

“We got a call about some tech washed up,” Alan reported, the light tremor in his voice gone. “Virgil’s shoulder torch. I’ve just collected it from GDF officers and am about to resume my fly over.”

_ “F.A.B. Your locator puts you at just shy of ten miles downstream from the accident site.” _

Ten miles…

Such a long way.

“Anyone else found anything?” Alan was back on task. “Has Scott dropped the probes yet?”

_ “He’s about to. The water levels are already starting to rise. We may have to call you back in if conditions deteriorate too much, so be careful.” _

A frown. “John, I’m not going to stop just because of some rain. I have to keep looking.”

_ “We can’t risk anyone else going in if there’s a second flood.” _ John’s calm statement made sense.  _ “The pods have proved ineffective in this muddy terrain.” _

Pain flashed across Alan’s expression. “Virgil’s counting on us though!”

_ “Alan!” _

That voice made them both jump. Alan flinched as Ray almost jumped to attention.

It was Scott.

_ “Follow the instructions you’re given.” _ The Commander’s words were sharp and left no room for argument.  _ “We’re only going to find Virgil if we work together, and I need to know what you’re doing at all times. If John tells you to stand down, you stand down.” _

Alan looked like he’d had the fear of God put into him. Ray could only stand there quietly and feel sorry for him. He understood that Scott was stressed, but where had this animosity come from? It felt so wrong.

Alan swallowed. He pushed Virgil’s torch into Ray’s hands and climbed back up into the pod. 

_ “Alan?”  _ Scott’s voice again.

The youngest Tracy’s expression was unreadable. “F.A.B.”

What on Earth was going on?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks as always for all the support. I'm enjoying writing this because of all of you being so amazing with your feedback.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took longer and ended up longer than I expected. Hope it was worth the wait

The water woke him. He almost choked as it threatened to go up his nose and he jolted awake with an alarmed splutter. The resulting pain from his jarred movements instantly reminded him of his current condition.

Weakness made his body want to sag but that spike of adrenaline forced clarity into his mind as pain threatened to cloud it over. His left ear felt blocked and his hearing muted, but the other picked up a very distinct rushing sound.

Water. Pouring in from somewhere out of sight in all the black that surrounded him. 

Virgil strained to lift his top half up off the bank and looked down at his hands.

He couldn’t see them. He was lying in about three inches of murky water which had just started to leak in through the hole in his visor until he’d lifted his head. It sloshed around inside his helmet horribly.

Rising water. Another flood?

Shit.

As if on cue his leg throbbed terribly, reminding him further of just how dire his situation was. The tree still had a firm hold on him. Like a meat hook he could feel the branch that had pierced his thigh tug at him with every tiny movement - it demanded he remain in its company and Virgil wasn’t sure if he had the strength to resist.

He’d never been one for giving up on anything. There was always a solution to a problem, provided you took the time to find it. But his body was tired and his injuries significant. Nausea was his constant companion along with a near crippling pain in his head - likely a concussion after his tumble down the river - and he was so cold his extremities were going numb.

The water level crept higher. There was no telling how high it would get and Virgil didn’t fancy sticking around to find out. He’d wasted enough time after he’d passed out again.

Stupid. So stupid. 

Come on, dig deep. Stay awake and get moving!

Survive!

With a few breaths to prepare himself he turned his head just enough to check his leg injury. It looked as nasty as it did the first time, but for the most part the branch was blocking the blood flow. That would change as soon as he dislodged it and pulled himself free, but in this situation he’d take his chances. He had to pick the least of the bad options.

With a bit of luck he could slow the bleeding. He could do nothing to stop the rising river water.

“Come on…” He swallowed against the dryness in his croaky throat and took a breath. First he had to get hold of the medical scanner which he could still feel under his midriff. It had started to sink into the silt and mud because of his weight, but Virgil was able to grab hold of it before it could be swallowed and lost. He ignored how his fingers protested and pulled the device free.

As the pale blue beam was directed to his injured leg the light it cast allowed him to see just a little bit more. The water his feet were submerged in was getting stronger. It tried to pull at his boots and drag him beneath the tree where it had found the path of least resistance. 

Soon enough the tree would likely be dislodged and continue on further into this unrelenting darkness. 

It would not be taking Virgil with it.

The scan results came in and he did his best to study them with what he now reckoned was a real doozy of a concussion. The constant ache in his skull was making it difficult to concentrate and his vision still hadn’t fully cleared - though all the dirt and water inside his visor didn’t help matters. 

He stared at the scan results in the hopes of making some sense of it all, only to find that his medical knowhow had abandoned him. He could barely understand any of what he saw, let alone make any further diagnosis on his condition.

A few moments passed by painfully slowly before things did start to register. Vaguely. There was significant damage to multiple muscles in his thigh, though major blood vessels had been missed. Not by much, but enough to increase his chances somewhat.

It was impossible to tell how much blood he’d already lost. He didn’t know when he’d sustained the injury, how much the branch was slowing the bleed or even how long he’d been unconscious. So many questions with absolutely zero answers.

He didn’t have time for any frustration though. If he wanted to get out of this then he had to move now before the water got any deeper. He couldn’t even see if there was anywhere he could crawl or climb to that would be safe enough from the flood. All he could do was trust that there was somewhere, and free himself from both the tree and his exosuit.

Pocketing the scanner to keep it safe for later, Virgil’s weakened hand reached down and grasped the torn fabric of his uniform right at the wound. One quick tug was all he needed. No more time wasting.

He steeled himself for the agony he knew was waiting for him and breathed in as deeply as his broken ribs would allow.

Three...

Two...

One!

He yanked his leg away.  _ Hard _ .

The short stub of the branch tried to hold on, its rough bark pulling at his flesh in a desperate grasp for purchase, before finally releasing him. As it slid free from his thigh Virgil let out a sharp cry which echoed all around him and nearly ended in him throwing up. Somehow he avoided it and gulped in air desperately to try and calm himself.

Throwing up was dangerous. He’d already lost too many fluids and his risk of choking was increased if he passed out again. He clenched his teeth and hissed through them until the horrible sensation passed and pain once again ruled supreme.

He could feel the warmth of fresh blood trickling down into the murky water, taking more of his strength with it. A shiver wracked through his body and left him groaning.

He was free at last. Now it was time to get moving. Crawl. Find higher ground. Do whatever it takes to survive and give his brothers more time to find him.

They had to be close by now. They just had to be.

As if to emphasise the urgency of his predicament the water started coming in faster. That tug on his boots grew stronger and now his entire forearms were submerged as he shakily held himself up.

Come on, move! 

It was amazing what the human body was capable of when put under so much stress and pressure. Virgil’s brain provided him with another shot of adrenaline at just the right time to get him going and he slid out from under his ruined exosuit. It had saved him from the worst but now it was time to continue on without it.

Staying where he was meant certain death.

And so Virgil Tracy started to crawl. Every cell in his body screamed in protest. Pain was his sole and constant companion. His injured leg dragged along behind him like a dead weight, leaving a thin trail of blood in its wake.

Don’t think about it. Just focus on moving. Slow but steady. Get as far away from the water as possible.

To Virgil it felt like days as he edged further and further away from danger and into the unknown. His entire world was captured in the narrow beams of light from his helmet that did their best to show him the way. Way to where, he had no clue. Hopefully safety. Being in the dark for so long with no bearings was overwhelming to the point of suffocating.

He was forced to pause and catch his breath every couple of minutes before continuing on, and the effort really put his muscles to the test as they strained and heaved his body further up the incline of the bank.

Finally he saw something just up ahead, beyond a dark line that had to be the water mark from the previous flood. An opening? Maybe a cave or a tunnel. Whatever it was it would be his saviour. So long as the water didn’t reach it then he would finally have somewhere safer and hopefully a little drier to rest.

Rest. That word sounded like pure heaven. He needed sleep so bad.

With monumental effort the stricken Thunderbird Two pilot eventually reached the mouth of the cave and brought his left leg under him just long enough to clamber inside. His fatigue was so intense that he barely registered the pain as he slumped back against the nearest wall.

His consciousness wavered.

No. Don’t sleep yet. There was still more work to be done.

Weak and shaking hands fumbled with the release clamp for his helmet and removed it from his head, allowing the lingering trapped water to escape either down the front of his uniform or under the collar and inside. That brought on another shiver and a weak groan passed Virgil’s lips.

Don’t think about it. Stay on task. 

He set the helmet down beside him, angling it so the lights shone on his leg, and then yanked one of the pockets on his baldric open. Inside was a trauma kit, compact but essential, with bandages and a sterile wound dressing.

He set to work as efficiently as anyone with significant injuries, a concussion, constant shivering, weakness and almost numb hands could manage. Rather than try to rip his uniform further he simply pressed the dressing over the oozing puncture wound and then wrapped the bandage around it, securing it in place with a tight knot.

Blood stained his fingers red over the mud he was clarted in, and any attempts to wipe his hands did next to nothing. What he would give to be warm and dry right now. And clean. 

With his wound wrapped the best he could and the risk of drowning now greatly reduced, Virgil finally allowed his body to slump down across the uneven ground. He positioned his leg on a higher section of the rock for elevation and shut his tired eyes.

The situation may have improved slightly but it still wasn’t much. If he wasn’t rescued soon it was just a case of what would get him first.

Hypothermia, blood loss or infection?

Thoughts of his family came to the forefront of his mind as he began to drift. A welcome distraction from all the pain and discomfort he was in. He desperately wanted to see them, to hear their voices and feel their warmth. To be saved by the only people he knew would never give up on him.

His brothers, Grandma, Kayo, Brains… 

Ray…

They had to turn up soon. Virgil didn’t know how much longer he could hang on without proper medical attention. He needed them.

“Please,” he whispered in a weak voice. His strength was failing him. Exhaustion hung over him like a heavy blanket. “Find me…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who reads. Hope you're still enjoying it and please let me know what you think. Next chapter coming soon


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally got this done. Very different from previous chapters and I wasn't sure about it at first, but I feel like it's necessary to the plot so here it is. Hope you enjoy.

They had been forced to put the search on hold the previous day when the weather had worsened. To continue in such poor conditions would only have tempted fate and invited another accident. People were tired, nerves were frazzled and going so long with next to no signs or hints as to where Virgil might have ended up had really beaten down the morale.

Colonel Casey stood in the cargo bay of her flier, finalising a report on the day’s events. Not that there was much to say. The search had resumed at just past noon and now it looked like they would have to stop again at a little after 5pm. The weather was gearing up for another storm and the river was swollen with violent flood water. 

Virgil had now been missing for a little over thirty seven hours.

His chances were bleak, but Valerie Casey wasn’t about to give up hope. The Tracy boys were like family to her. She’d watched them all grow from such small kids with big dreams and eyes full of wonder into the strong and confident young men they were today.

After the loss of her dear friend and mentor, Jeff Tracy, she had made a silent vow to watch over his boys to the best of her abilities. That had gotten easier when she’d been promoted to Colonel and had been appointed as the GDF’s official liaison officer for International Rescue. She had a reason to check in on them more often then, under the guise of business.

It was a status quo that had worked for and suited them all, only now that familiarity and closeness may be her downfall. There was no doubting that this had become personal. She was struggling to look at the situation objectively. Her emotions battled her professionalism. 

Her unfinished report flickered away and was replaced by the GDF’s insignia as a call came through. Valerie stared at it, counted to ten, and hit the accept icon. By the time the call connected she was the picture of the perfect officer - calm, composed and in control.

On the surface, anyway…

The person that appeared was one she knew well. An imposing figure, well trimmed white beard and glasses, wearing a pristine uniform with two stars on his shoulders and medals decorating his chest.

Major General Alexander Hayden. A compassionate man who had served alongside Jeff during the conflicts of 2040, and had been instrumental in the creation of the GDF immediately following the ceasefire. He was a man Valerie had great respect for, one who had worked tirelessly for a better future and had earned his position.

She offered him the customary salute. “General Hayden, sir, I was just about to send you my most recent report.”

The man returned her salute and gestured for her to stand at ease.  _ “It’s good to see you, Colonel Casey. I thought it would be better if I contacted you directly. Command requested that I check in with you for a status report on the search and rescue operation.” _

“Yes, sir.” She straightened her back that little bit more. “We located the mountain pod and a few scattered pieces of International Rescue’s tech further down river today, but I’m afraid that’s all. The locals are continuing to assist us where they can, but some have raised concerns about safety with all this rain. Landslides and further flooding are a high risk. We were forced to call a halt last night and didn’t resume until midday today.”

_ “The media are starting to take more notice of the situation,”  _ General Hayden commented.  _ “A press conference on an unrelated matter was hijacked by fans of International Rescue and some particularly intense reporters wanting to know why the Tracys were giving orders to the GDF.” _

Colonel Casey frowned a little at that. “I can assure you that isn’t the case, General. We are working in a collaborative effort.”

_ “Is Scott aware of that?” _

At those words Valerie bit back a sigh. “Scott is emotionally compromised, as is natural in these circumstances. Were he one of my men I would have had him off the mission long ago.”

The General gave a single nod.  _ “I believe you, Colonel. Unfortunately, those further up the chain of command have their concerns. They believe International Rescue is being prioritised over other situations.” _

Valerie barely managed to school her features and keep her hands from clenching at the mere suggestion. “Prioritised? They think I’m compromised too?” 

When General Hayden didn’t answer she grit her teeth and let her gaze slide just past his holographic image, taking a few precious seconds to rein in her annoyance. 

“It’s only been two days,” she reminded him. “I have remained on site to oversee all operations here. If there is anything I have missed elsewhere through negligence then I can only apologise, General.”

_ “You’re just a little too close on this one,” _ Hayden responded.  _ “And I thought it would be best if I pointed that out before anyone else did. But the fact of the matter remains. You can’t spend too much longer on this.” _

Annoyed as she was, Colonel Casey did appreciate the heads up. General Hayden was a good man and a fine officer. He had both her respect and her trust. But this was far from an easy situation.

After all, they were talking about one of Jeff Tracy’s boys here. A son of their long lost friend and colleague. A world famous hero of International Rescue.

How could she be expected to give up so easily? 

As if reading her thoughts, the man’s expression softened a fraction.  _ “Val, I’m sorry. I know they mean a lot to you, and God knows they deserve all the help we can give them after what they’ve done for all of us, but orders are orders and you have other responsibilities too.” _

She drew in a slow breath. “So, Command wants me to withdraw and forsake Virgil?” Her eyes narrowed. “Is there another situation of a higher priority or do they just want to avoid backlash from the press?”

_ “I can’t comment on that. All I can say is that you need to either find him before time runs out or leave International Rescue to continue the search without any further assistance.” _

Valerie swallowed. “How long do I have?”

General Hayden consulted his watch and she held her breath.  _ “I can give you another twenty four hours from now, but that’s all. After that you must call back your team and report for duty.”  _

He looked back at her and in that moment she knew he understood what she was feeling. He may not deal with International Rescue directly very often, but through his connection with Jeff he had known the boys for years. General Hayden was probably the only person who could relate to what she was going through.

That horrible line between following orders and following the heart.

_ “Find him, Val. I’ve argued your case for you to remain on site longer, but it’s out of my hands now. Command believes this should be downgraded to a recovery mission. I’m ordering you to prove them wrong.” _

Her heels knocked together and she raised her hand in a perfect salute. Strong. Determined. “Yes, sir.”

General Hayden gave a nod before signing off. Suddenly she was alone again.

A nearby box took Colonel Casey’s weight as she slumped down onto it. She felt like the wind had been ripped out of her sails, leaving her to drift dangerously close to both anger and despair. 

So her superiors were already giving up, huh? Rather than provide her with the support she’d hoped for all they seemed interested in was to save face and avoid any headaches from the media. But if word got out that they had forsaken one of the world’s beloved Thunderbird pilots, the backlash would be horrific.

Why couldn’t they see that? Would they have dealt with the situation differently if Virgil had been wearing a GDF uniform? What happened to that all important vow of ‘never leave a man behind’?

Colonel Casey pressed her palms over her eyes, then straightened and took a deep breath.

At least she had General Hayden in her corner. The man was loyal and honourable. He would pull out all the stops to ensure she had those full twenty four hours left to find Virgil and bring him home safe.

Because she would. She had to. She refused to believe that Jeff’s son had been lost to them. She would find him within that time frame and rub it in Command’s faces.

Because Colonel Casey had hope.

For now though she needed to focus on her next immediate task. It was time to have another meeting with Scott and the others. How the hell she was supposed to explain that the GDF had now put a time limit on Virgil’s life, she had no idea, but she would figure it out.

The clock was ticking, louder now than ever before. 

\---

Unbeknownst to the Colonel as she sat there planning such careful words, the all seeing gaze on an AI left the flier’s inboard cameras and darted back up through the link she had created to Thunderbird Five.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. Please let me know what you think.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter. I hope this is okay. It's been a crazy week.

The mangled body of the mountain pod lay in a heap in the middle of the module floor. The cable from its winch line was a tangled mess all around it, and with the canopy and three of the six legs missing it looked a right sorry state. It did nothing to help the dwindling hope anyone had for Virgil’s safe return. 

Ray stood at one of the panels on the module wall as Brains talked him through how to begin a diagnostic test of the pod’s memory core - how to connect data cables, where it was safe to rinse a part clean with water and what switches to flick before the engineer could take over remotely.

Ray followed each instruction to the letter, but in truth his attention kept drifting to what was going on behind him on the other side of the dead machinery.

Scott and Alan were in the middle of a heated discussion which was quickly derailing into a full blown argument. Scott was definitely angry. Alan had found his voice again after being quiet for so long.

“If you don’t follow instructions I’ll have you off this mission and get Kayo to fly you home.”

“You can’t do that.” 

“Yes, I can. I’m the mission Commander.”

“Well, you shouldn’t be!”

“What?!”

“You’re just as compromised as the rest of us!”

Ray wished he could phase through the wall or floor and disappear. The atmosphere was toxic. One twitch from him and it would probably shatter and cut them all to ribbons. He was actually starting to wonder if Scott had forgotten he was even there. Normally Virgil’s older brother was very careful about what he let Ray hear whenever he was talking shop.

But not now. Right now neither Scott nor Alan were behaving like the highly trained and professional operatives of International Rescue that Ray knew them to be. Instead they were two brothers at war over the loss of another, and probably both shouldering a significant amount of guilt. Guilt for what exactly, Ray wasn’t sure, but that was what his gut was telling him.

The display in front of him turned green as he plugged in another cable and the memory core came to life with power donated by Thunderbird Two. As soon as the link was established with the Z-band network that Brains had been telling him about, the engineer took over.  _ “Thank you, Ray. Now I can check the p-pod’s scanners for any clues about where Virgil became separated from it. It m-might be just what we need to find him.” _

The physio nodded and stepped away. He didn’t understand half of what was going on around him, but that statement sounded more than a little optimistic. He wasn’t about to give up hope though - it was just that the fear was starting to really get to him all these hours later.

As Brains got to work, Ray leaned against the cahelium wall of the module and rubbed at his eyes. Everyone was exhausted and stressed to the max. It was no wonder that tempers were fraying, but this conflict between Scott and Alan seemed particularly extreme and was showing no signs of stopping. They were getting louder and louder with every passing minute. No wonder Gordon had made himself scarce and retreated to the cockpit. He had taken on the responsibility of updating Grandma Tracy.

Meanwhile Scott and Alan’s shouting match raged on.

“At least I’m trying to fix the problem  _ you _ caused!”

Silence. So sudden it was like an assault on the ears. Ray’s eyes shot in their direction at Scott’s words. He saw Alan first go bright red, then sheet white.

Alan had caused this? How? What the hell was Scott talking about? It had all been an accident, that’s what Ray had been led to believe. The pod had started to slide. Virgil, selfless as he was, had rushed in to get Alan to safety. He’d succeeded, only to get caught up by the pod’s cable and dragged into the river. 

Was Scott actually blaming Alan for a freak accident?

_ “Thunderbird Five to Thunderbird Two.” _ John appeared from a projector above their heads.  _ “I’ve just received an update from Eos. Scott, you’re not going to like this.” _

The eldest Tracy turned his back on Alan. “What is it, John?”

_ “It seems the GDF higher ups are growing impatient. Colonel Casey has just been ordered to pull out her teams assisting us within the next twenty-four hours.” _

Even from across the module Ray could see how the creases in Scott’s brow deepened. “Explain.”

_ “They seem to think this is a wasted effort.” _ John’s voice was low and severe.  _ “They even mentioned downgrading this to a recovery mission.” _

“They said what?!”

Boots clomped up the module ramp. All eyes flew to Colonel Casey as she arrived and Scott marched straight over to her. Ray held his breath. He knew what that felt like.

“You’re giving up on him? How could you?!”

The Colonel stood firm despite being towered over by an enraged IR Commander. If Ray hadn’t been so terrified about what had just been implied he might have had time to be impressed. All he felt right now though was fear and anger.

“What are you talking about, Scott?” The Colonel’s words were clipped but her tone was steady.

“After everything we’ve done to help you lot over the years, this is the thanks we get? The minute we need assistance you’re only happy to give it if it’s convenient for you!”

“Scott, calm down and explain to me what you’re on about.”

“Virgil. My brother. The one the GDF seems happy to give up on.”

“We haven’t given up on-- Where did you hear that?” A frown. “Were you listening in on a confidential call?”

Scott looked enraged. “Fuck confidentiality! My brother’s life is at stake here. You’re supposed to be helping us find him, not giving us a time limit!”

The Colonel drew in a breath through her nose. “My team and I have been working round the clock by your side to find Virgil. We’ve only been able to cover this much ground so far through our collaboration.”

“Yet now your superiors want to downgrade this to a recovery mission!” Scott spat. “You’re all just giving up!”

“Lower your tone,” the woman told him. “I stood by my decision to remain and offer additional support, as you’ll know if you hacked my call. My superiors may have other priorities, but I can assure you I do not. However, that doesn’t mean I can ignore a direct order.” Her expression remained stern, then wilted without warning. “I don’t want to think about it, but the time to switch to a recovery mission might be drawing closer.”

What the hell?! No!

Scott exploded. “You can take your recovery mission and shove it up your--”

“Stop it!”

The tension shattered and it was as if time itself had stalled. Everything stopped, swallowed by a suffocating silence even more deafening than before.

Ray swallowed as his gaze drifted away from Scott and the Colonel, past John’s translucent image and landed on the tense and shaking form of Virgil’s youngest brother. Alan’s hands were balled into fists and his head was down. Ray could clearly hear his shaky breathing.

“Just stop it!” the youngest repeated sharply. “If anyone’s to blame it’s me but this doesn’t help us. For all we know Virgil managed to escape the river and is waiting for us to rescue him. Arguing about all this shit isn’t helping.”

His head came up and he stared at Scott and Colonel Casey who were both still stunned into silence. “Stop wasting time. Stop shouting and stop making out this is affecting you worst because it isn’t. This is on me, all of it.” He straightened. “But I’m going to fix it. I’m going to find Virgil and bring him home, with or without the GDF’s help or authorisation over weather constraints.”

_ “Alan.” _ Perhaps it was the relative safety of Thunderbird Five that gave John the courage to speak up before anyone else.  _ “These instructions to stand down are to ensure everyone’s safety. We have them for a reason, frustrating as they are.” _

The youngest Tracy shook his head. “I don’t want to be safe. I just want my brother back.”

“Alan--” Scott turned towards him but then the younger man was moving. He dodged around the two adults with ease and hurried out into the rain.

Ray immediately knew he was heading for the pod. Alan meant what he said. No matter what had happened and whether or not he was responsible for Virgil’s accident, the brave teen was determined to fix things while everyone else had been too busy arguing or focussing on safer methods that up until now had achieved nothing.

Virgil had often said how strong and admirable his littlest brother was. There was always pride in his eyes whenever Alan came up in conversation.

Ray saw it too now, in person. Alan was just like Virgil. Strong and determined, if a little naive at times from a lack of experience compared to his four older brothers. He was a Tracy, and they never gave up on anyone.

His feet were moving before he could fully comprehend it. Ray passed by Scott and Colonel Casey, rushed down the ramp and splashed through the sodden ground towards the pod just as Alan climbed inside. 

Their eyes met as the teen’s harness came down. Such a different colour from Virgil’s but just as brave. No words were exchanged as Alan nodded towards the backseat. 

A newfound determination gripped Ray in that moment, allowing him to climb up effortlessly into the pod and drop into the seat as if he’d done it hundreds of times before.

“You ready?” Alan asked as the canopy closed and the pod rose into the air. “This could get bumpy.”

Ray secured his helmet and double checked his harness. He was secure. “F.A.B.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got a good chunk of the next chapter already written so hopefully the next update isn't far away. The pace is picking up now.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was easier to write - I just hope it makes sense.

Ray was getting the hang of all the controls in the back seat of the pod. He now knew how to operate the scanning equipment, use the comms and access any further data sent to them by Thunderbird Five, though the eye in the sky had gone dark on them for now. Either John was busy trying to play referee between Scott and Colonel Casey or Alan had deliberately blocked all communications.

It wasn’t worth causing an atmosphere by asking which was the truth, so the physiotherapist instead turned his attention out the window of the pod’s canopy to the ground below them. 

Something caught his eye. Someone waving.

“Alan, look!” Ray felt the pod falter in the air for a half second before Alan brought it to a steady hover.

“What is it?”

Leaning round as far as his harness would allow him Ray looked down towards the ground, where he could just see a young boy waving desperately at them. “There’s a kid trying to get our attention. I think he needs help.”

“F.A.B.” There was the tiniest hint of disappointment in Alan’s voice, but Ray made no comment on it as the pod turned and descended towards the boy. As desperate as they were to find Virgil, they couldn’t turn their back on someone they thought might need help.

Or had he found something? Another piece of scattered tech perhaps. Or maybe even Virgil himself… 

Hope and fear tore at Ray’s insides.

As soon as the pod touched down Alan was out, and as Ray followed he saw the child running towards them, but gesturing back wildly behind him at what looked to be some kind of hole in the ground.

“Please! My friends. They fall in and can’t get out now.” The boy’s accent was strong but his English was good which was fortunate. Ray went straight over to him while Alan moved to check the hole, relieved that they would be able to communicate.

Alan moved to the edge and looked down, waved to the two trapped children out of Ray’s sight, and turned back towards the pod. “I’ll grab a rescue net and climb down to check them over,” he said, though Ray wasn’t sure if he was telling him or just thinking out loud. “They should be able to climb back up if they don’t have any injuries.”

Ray nodded. “I’ll keep an eye on things up here.” He was of no use for the actual rescue without any kind of training, but Ray figured he could at least help by hopefully calming down the boy who still looked very worried about his two friends. That way Alan could focus on his mission. 

The boy was wringing his hands together nervously and bouncing on the balls of his feet as Alan secured the net and carefully started climbing down into the muddy pit. Ray knelt beside him.

“My name is Ray. What’s yours?”

The boy finally turned his gaze away from the pit. “Sahil,” he answered quietly.

Ray offered him a small smile. “Hi, Sahil. Don’t worry, Alan will get your friends out in no time.” A pause. “Are there any adults we can call to come get you?”

Sahil looked nervous and Ray suspected this was a case of young kids running off and doing exactly what they’d been told not to do by very worried and protective parents or guardians. He and Shona had been guilty of that plenty of times growing up, so he recognised that look on Sahil’s face instantly.

The boy nibbled his lower lip. “They tell us not to go down to here when it floods. They say it is too… How you say?”

Ray fished for a word. “Dangerous?”   


Sahil nodded. “Yes, dangerous. So I do not like to come to this place all the time, but my friends, they like to play games under here.”

“No injuries,” Alan called suddenly from the pit. “We’re coming back up now, one at a time.”

That was a big relief. The children were safe and this rescue had only taken a few moments. As soon as it was finished Ray and Alan would be able to resume their fly over and search.

“You and your friends are very lucky, Sahil. All this rain has made the ground very slippy and unstable. People can easily get hurt, even when they’re being careful.”

His heart panged at the thought of Virgil.

“You must stay away from this area when the weather is bad like this, okay? Listen to the adults. It might seem boring sometimes but they’re just trying to keep you safe.”

Ray did not want to lecture the boy as he had clearly had a serious fright when his two friends had fallen into the pit and got stuck, but as a responsible adult he felt it was his duty to gently point out their mistakes so hopefully Sahil would learn from it and avoid something like this happening again in the future.

Kids would be kids and accidents still happened, but if Ray could walk away from this having educated even just one young person, he’d feel like he’d done something worthwhile.

“It is our secret place,” Sahil told him. “We play here when there is no rain. Rain brings flood and river flows into caves that come to here. Emir wanted to see how high the water is.”

“Sahil!” 

Two very muddy though thankfully unharmed boys climbed up the rescue net and crawled out of the pit. Ray moved to assist them and brought them away from the edge where they were quickly reunited with Sahil. The boy hugged them both, unperturbed by the mud they were covered in.

“Thank you,” he beamed as his friends chattered to him in their native tongue. “They are happy you came to rescue us.”

“We’re just glad you’re all okay,” Alan smiled at them, trying to wipe some of the mud from his uniform. “Now, let’s get you guys back home.”

They walked the children back towards the nearest town, and could soon hear adults calling their names. Ray watched the heartwarming reunion between children and parents with a mixture of happiness and envy. Seeing them embrace each other so tightly made Ray miss Virgil even more. 

God, he wanted him back.

\---

That rescue had been completely unexpected. Alan was glad that Ray had spotted Sahil because he himself had been too preoccupied. Virgil, his fight with Scott, Colonel Casey’s orders and the terrifying fact that time was marching on. It was like a maelstrom of emotions warring inside of him, taking up all his energy and focus.

Alan had never experienced tunnel vision before but this had to be a bit like it. He was fixated on finding Virgil. Nothing else mattered to him. Alan was desperate to right his wrongs and fix this whole horrible situation that, as Scott had so tactfully pointed out, was his doing. 

He would have flown on without ever noticing poor little Sahil if it hadn’t been for Ray. 

“I’m glad you spotted him, Ray,” Alan spoke up as he fetched a rag from inside the pod and tried to clean himself up a bit. “They’re safe now because of you.”

The older man smiled a little. “I’m just glad I could do something.” He looked away and Alan watched him for a moment, then went back to cleaning mud from his uniform.

He was almost finished when he remembered he still had to retrieve the net he’d used to get the kids out. His shoulder slumped and he let out a groan. Tiredness was starting to get to him. The dirty rag got chucked back into its storage box.

“Can you give me a hand with this? The sooner it’s done the sooner we’ll be back in the air. We’ve still got a couple of hours of daylight left.” 

“Yeah.” Ray followed him over, having another look over the edge. “It’s deep.”

Alan nodded. “It’s actually an old mine shaft from what I can tell. Makes sense. A lot of mining still goes on in the area. But this one is ancient.”

All he got was a distracted hum of acknowledgement from Ray as the man continued to stare at the hole. Alan frowned a little. “What’s up?”

He saw Ray worry his lower lip. “Something Sahil said to me, when you were getting his friends out,” he recalled, and instantly had Alan’s full attention. “He said this tunnel connects to underground caves, and that his friend wanted to see how high the flood waters had reached.”

Alan’s hands paused on the first security hook holding the net in place. He felt a sudden wave of urgency wash over him.

“You mean like a subterranean river?” His eyes shot to the mine shaft. 

An area underground, completely hidden from sight, where water got in only during extreme floods, and had the potential to take anything with it.

Anything...or anyone.

…

Could it be?

He heard Ray draw in a shaky breath. “You don’t think--”

And Alan was moving. He sprinted back to the pod as fast as the wet ground would let him, clambered up the side and flung himself into the storage compartment at the back. A full emergency kit, harnesses and shock blankets. A bottle of water, rope and an additional locator beacon just in case. 

Green caught Alan’s eye as he shoved everything into his pack. Virgil’s torch was still in the pod.

On impulse the youngest Tracy grabbed it and tried turning it on. The brilliant light dazzled him right in the face. Despite its ordeal it still worked!

“Alan?” Ray’s voice.

Alan shoved the torch in with everything else, then dropped back down into the mud. 

“We’re going down there,” the teenager announced in a strong and confident voice. 

He couldn’t have explained how if someone had asked, but something inside Alan was telling him he had to go down that mineshaft. Instinct? His gut? Whatever it was it was screaming at him and couldn’t be ignored.

Virgil was down there, somewhere, hidden from them all this whole time. 

Alan just knew it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are starting to happen now. Thanks to all of you who have followed this story so far - it means a lot to me.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A chapter featuring John. He was feeling left out and I wanted to try writing him for a change.

John liked being the eye in the sky. The silence of space suited his personality perfectly, and he was in near constant communication with people so he never felt lonely. Plus he had Eos now, and he always looked forward to Ridley’s weekly visits for their scheduled games of handball and witty banter - with a fair amount of light flirting on the side.

Yes, John Tracy was a man perfectly suited for a life in orbit. Space was his haven. It held everything he desired in the endless vacuum of darkness, dusted with stars that glittered like the finest diamonds scattered across black silk. Beautiful. Dangerous. Full of endless possibilities and potential.

John had always been an enigma. Born on Earth but made for space. From way up high in Thunderbird Five he could admire the beauty of the planet below him, speak regularly with his family without having to actually live with them, and play the vital role he had within International Rescue.

It was up to him to provide all the intel his brothers would need whenever a call came through, and ensure that everything was taken care of so they could focus on rescues without distraction.

He thrived in his job as a communications specialist. Took pride in being the voice that helped to calm those who called him while they awaited the arrival of a Thunderbird. The fact he spoke seventeen languages certainly came in handy, and growing up with four brothers and a sister had taught John patience above all else.

Maybe that was another reason why he loved space so much. The calm. The quiet. The chance to see everything from a completely different perspective to others. Mankind's pettiness couldn’t reach him in orbit.

He was a drifting soul amongst the stars, tethered to Earth only by the love he had for his family and the incredible sense of duty he was proud to carry as a member of International Rescue.

Thunderbird Five was his domain and he wouldn’t trade her for anything.

…

That’s how he felt on normal days, anyway.

But not now.

Not now when one of his beloved brothers was missing and the rest of the family were going out of their minds with worry trying to find him.

Scott was days away from a complete mental breakdown brought on by stress, exhaustion and a now semi-permanent state of anger, anxiety and depression. His tune jumped more than an old radio.

Gordon had never sounded so downcast and tired before, from what John could remember. Not when he’d been badly injured after one of multiple accidents, or even when they’d lost their father. Something about this was different, maybe because he’d been there when it had happened.

Grandma was beside herself, Brains was working himself into the ground trying to increase their scanning capabilities and Kayo had been running herself ragged with security and assisting the search from a distance while she remained on standby at Tracy Island.

Never before had the family felt stretched quite so thin and the strain was starting to show in all of them.

But it was Alan who was the most concerning of all to John.

His baby brother had taken Virgil’s accident worse than anyone else. John suspected there was a significant amount of blame that Alan was shouldering, and having seen the visuals and played them back again and again from the moment the pod’s cable had caught their older brother’s leg, John could understand why.

Of course Alan was going to blame himself. He’d argued with Virgil. Ignored his advice. Had to be saved by their strong and selfless brother, only to then watch him get ripped away from under him and dragged into the crashing brown waters.

Nature had an unforgiving way of showing humanity again and again just how small and helpless they really were up against her wrath. It was a harsh lesson Alan had been forced to learn first hand.

John had never felt so helpless. How many times had he had to talk himself out of jumping into the space elevator and rushing back down to Earth? Six? Seven? He’d lost count.

For the first time in a long time he was desperate to be on the ground with his brothers. To shoulder some of the weight and give them a chance to rest. To look with his own eyes and maybe pick out any tiny clue they might have missed. To just be there, with them, for them.

But he remained at his post. He was more useful there. More effective. As much as he hated to admit it. Someone had to monitor the situation and keep track of all the individual search teams, log their progress and ensure there was no breakdown of communication.

“John.” The lyrical electronic voice of Eos pushed through all of those thoughts and drew the astronaut’s attention away from the orange and blue lines he’d been staring at for the last couple of minutes.

He’d been doing a lot of that lately. Gazing helplessly through the glass of the gravity ring to the planet below on each rotation, or just letting his eyes follow those perfect lines of colour that now only reminded him of his elder brother’s careful paint brush strokes.

Tired eyes lifted to the camera above him. “Yes, Eos?”

“The scan on the latest search area has come back negative. Would you like me to move on to the next one?”

John wilted. Yet another failure. Thunderbird Five’s ground penetrating radar and scanners had been working some serious overtime. Thermal and infrared technology, all radio frequencies open, one eye and ear on social media for any fragment of information that might be useful from all those now aware of the situation, drones from Thunderbirds One and Two flying constantly and sending their feed directly into orbit for processing.

Searching for anything. More scattered tech. Any unusual sounds or vibrations that could indicate a tapping out of old morse code or a call for help. Even the most sensitive equipment searching for the faint thud of a heartbeat.

Anything. Anything at all...

John bit back the urge to swear and lash out at the nearest wall or console. All this top end technology at his fingertips and it was completely useless without a hard target to focus on.

“John?”

The space dwelling Tracy drew in a breath and straightened. “Sorry, Eos. Please move on to the next sector. I’ll send Scott an update.”

He heard the faint whir of the motor as Eos bobbed the camera up and down, replicating a nod that she had picked up from John some time ago. “Are you still upset that I infiltrated the onboard matrix of Colonel Casey’s flier?”

John ran a gloved hand through his hair and sighed. “I understand why you did it, Eos, and I appreciate your efforts. But please avoid repeating anything like that in future. It isn’t safe for you down there without me to assist.”

He couldn’t lose her too.

Her voice came back small but he could tell she understood his concerns. “Yes, John.”

“Good.” He turned to the nearest monitor and reached for the comms on his baldric. Drew in a breath to prepare himself for yet another tense discussion with Scott.

_“John! John, you there?”_

What? The astronaut blinked as his hand flinched away. In front of him the monitor lit up and blue eyes stared right at him. Intense. But not the ones he’d expected.

“Alan?” Alarm flared up inside him. “What’s wrong?”

 _“I need you to hone in on my signal and scan this area,”_ his little brother told him. Definitely an instruction, not a request. _“Ray and I may be onto something. We’ve found a tunnel network of an old mine shaft that apparently connects to the river in high floods. Our search has completely missed it until now.”_

John’s hands were moving instantly. “Scanning.” The line wasn’t the clearest so John put all the reserve power he had into boosting it, tethering Ray’s comms to Alan’s until he got a firm lock. Their location popped up in an area four and a half miles from the accident site, some fifteen metres below the surface and dropping.

“Alan, you can’t go down there on your own. Those tunnels could be unstable.”

_“I’m not waiting, John. Scott and Gordon can catch up with us. If Virgil is down here he’s waited long enough.”_

John felt awkwardly balanced on the edge between following logic and gut instinct. “It’s too risky by yourself. Withdraw immediately and wait for backup.”

 _“‘You never get anywhere standing still’.”_ Alan’s words sent a jolt through John. _“Isn’t that what Dad always said?”_

It was. Shit, it was.

“Alan…”

_“John. I’m doing this. We’re being careful and we’ll stay in constant radio contact. Now, please, help me with this.”_

He didn’t have to ask. John would do anything for Alan. All of them would. There was no point in arguing anyway. They were a family of risk takers.

“I’m notifying Scott and Gordon now. They’ll be with you as soon as possible. Be careful down there.”

Alan smiled at him. _“Always. Thanks, bro.”_

John really hoped he wouldn’t regret this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished this kinda quick so I hope it's okay. Thanks for reading as always :)


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A longer chapter for you guys this time. I could have split it but decided to keep it as one. Hopefully it was worth the wait.

The mud eventually gave way to dry rock as they moved deeper and deeper into the mine. Ancient looking wooden props stood strong and tall, lining the walls and playing their part in holding up the ceiling. The tunnel looked to be in very good condition, yet Alan remained alert. They had a good pace going but they had to be careful.

Virgil’s shoulder torch felt heavy in his hand as he held it out in front of him. The beam pushed deep into the darkness that now surrounded them, revealing tool scarred walls and rocks that had never seen the light of day.

To think that Virgil might be stuck down here all alone for so long...

Alan gripped the torch tighter. Was it childish to hope it might lead them right to its owner?

There was a sudden scuffle behind him and Alan spun round. The light hit the green of Ray’s suit as the older man stumbled, having just tripped on the rough ground.

“Are you okay?” Alan reached out a hand to steady him. Concern and guilt rushed through his system.

Ray straightened and sent him a small smile. “Yeah, thanks. Just misjudged my footing.”

Alan was quick to pull his hand back and looked away as a sense of self loathing bubbled up in his gut. He didn’t deserve Ray’s kindness or his thanks. Alan had been so busy focussing on what was ahead that he hadn’t given his companion any consideration.

He must have been staring at the wall a moment too long because suddenly a hand touched his shoulder. He flinched and it disappeared.

“Alan?”

The Thunderbird Three pilot frowned. “I’m fine.” A lie but he didn’t care. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to hog the torch.”

Ray lifted his own hand and gestured to the light he was carrying. “I’ve got one too, you know. Hardly your fault.”

Blue eyes reluctantly glanced back in the physio’s direction. True, Ray did have his own light source, but Virgil’s torch was so much brighter and Alan was the one to set the rather hurried pace down the mineshaft and through the tunnels.

Rushing in head first. Not thinking about anyone else. Careless. 

The teen’s shoulders suddenly slumped. “This whole thing is my fault.” He swallowed against a lump in his throat. “Scott was right.”

Silence. Then the crunch of the ground under Ray’s boots as the older man shifted. “Is this about what he said back in the module?”

Alan nodded miserably, and then promptly felt guilty for that too. He had no right to be acting this way. Seeking comfort. Playing the ‘woe is me’ card. No right at all. 

If he’d just listened to Virgil in the first place then none of this would have happened. 

He had caused this. There was no denying it. And now his strong, compassionate, amazing big brother might be dead for all he knew.

The darkness surrounding them seemed to close in like an unyielding cloud of misery and depression. Against his wishes his eyes started to burn. He really wanted to sniff but fought against the urge. He trembled.

The hand that had tried to comfort him a moment ago returned gently to his shoulder. This time Alan didn’t flinch, but only because he was fighting desperately hard to pull himself together. They didn’t have time for this. Virgil was still missing and counting on them.

Ray’s hand slid away as the man stepped forward, slipping past Alan and continuing on further into the tunnel. His movement forced Alan into action and he moved quickly to follow. 

“Aren’t you angry with me?” The question tumbled from his lips before he could fully think it through. He just needed to know.

Ray glanced at him as they fell into step beside one another. “Why would I be angry with you?”

Alan suddenly realised Ray didn’t know the whole story, that Alan had argued with Virgil and acted completely unreasonable with him when his brother had just been worried for his safety.

He hesitated, but refused to lie. “Virgil was just looking out for me,” he began quietly as they walked. “I was tired and grumpy and gave him attitude. Ignored his advice even though I know he’s the logistics and heavy machinery expert. If I’d just listened to him and done what I was told then the pod wouldn’t have slipped and he wouldn’t have had to save me.”

He wouldn’t have been pulled into the river… Wouldn’t have been lost...

They turned a corner and the tunnel ahead widened a little. The lights they had shone on into the never ending darkness as Alan waited for some kind of response.

“Accidents happen,” Ray spoke up at last, and there was a sudden heaviness in his tone that instantly had Alan curious and distracted from his own turbulent thoughts. “It’s not like you wanted it to, and blaming yourself isn’t going to change anything. Trust me.”

Some of the tension left Alan’s form. “Oh?” It came out quiet and hesitant. He didn’t want to overstep any boundaries. But Ray sounded like he was speaking from experience and Alan couldn’t help but wonder how his brother’s partner might be relating to him in that moment.

Ray sighed quietly. “When I was fifteen I caused an accident that resulted in my sister getting hurt. A bit like you, it was something that could have been avoided if I’d just listened to what I’d been told, but I didn’t and learned the hard way that every action has a consequence.”

Alan’s eyes widened a little. “What happened?” He flinched and looked straight ahead. “Sorry. It’s none of my business.”

Ray shook his head. “It’s okay, I don’t mind. I had a few friends over and we’d been working on this old car. We had it on the farm because there was plenty of private land to test drive it on, but my dad had told me under no circumstances was I to drive it without him there to supervise.”

A sigh. Ray had Alan’s full attention. “Of course I thought I knew better. Thought everything would be fine and my dad was just being a nag. So I jumped in the car, started it up and floored it down the track. Showing off in front of my friends. But then I took a corner too fast and crashed through the fence into the paddock where Shona was riding her horse.”

“Shit.”

“Yeah. Her horse was spooked and Shona was thrown from the saddle. She ended up with a broken collarbone, broken arm, concussion and a fractured spine. She was in hospital for weeks and spent three days in a medically induced coma.”

With that information Alan suddenly realised that Ray knew _exactly_ what he was going through with Virgil. The circumstances might have been very different, but the end result was the same. One of their loved ones had been harmed because of their own foolishness over something that could have so easily been avoided if they’d just shown some common sense.

Alan appreciated Ray being so open with him about something that clearly still upset the man even all these years later. “How… How did you deal with the guilt? Did your parents blame you?”

“They did, but it was an emotional time so I don’t hold it against them now. Those three days were tough before Shona came round and we realised she was going to be okay. After that I just focussed on trying to make up for it, because that was all I could do. It’s one of the reasons I became a physiotherapist in the end.”

Ray looked at him then and Alan felt a whole new level of respect for him. This was someone who knew what he was going through and refused to judge him, even when Alan had been blaming himself constantly since the accident had happened.

Ray’s outlook gave him some hope that things would get better again.

“My point is blame gets you absolutely nowhere. It’s natural but if you let it consume you then it just makes everything worse. You have to accept the past and look ahead, learn from it and try to better yourself.”

For the first time in days Alan found the strength to smile. It was small and fragile, but definitely there. Those words were just what he’d needed to hear. “Thanks, Ray.”

Ray smiled back at him. “You’re welcome.”

Their comms suddenly chimed and Alan raised his arm. John appeared above his wrist controller. _“How’s it going, Alan?”_

Feeling a bit more grounded following his conversation with Ray, Alan found it surprisingly easy to slip back into his training and respond in a professional manner without letting his emotions take over.

“We’re okay, John. The supports seem to have aged well and there are no signs of any cave-ins yet. We’re making good progress but are treading carefully.”

 _“Good.”_ John nodded. _“Thunderbird Five is still mapping out the tunnel network and scanning for any hazards. Be sure to stop if I tell you to.”_

“We will.” Alan had learned his lesson. This time around he would definitely listen to an older brother, especially considering it wasn’t just his own safety at risk. Alan had Ray to think about too.

 _“I am detecting a larger opening up ahead,”_ John added. _“It could be a cavern so be careful.”_

“F.A.B.” 

Together the two walked for about another five minutes, until Alan heard something and lifted his hand to stop Ray beside him. The older man sent Alan a curious look, but the teen gestured for him to remain quiet. 

“Do you hear that?” 

They both listened. 

A distant rushing sound carried through the tunnel towards them.

“Sounds like running water,” Ray replied. “Think we’ve found the river?”

“Only one way to find out.” Alan raised the torch higher and continued forward, his other hand brushing along the tunnel wall as he moved. 

After about fifty metres the tunnel came to an abrupt end, opening wide to a gaping space. Debris probably left from when the mine had been excavated created a slope which Alan followed down with the torch until the beam hit the river they’d been searching for. The water was fairly deep but running clearer now, suggesting that the worst of the second flood had now passed. 

Alan stepped down into the loose rocks and gravel. “Let’s check this place out. Watch your footing.”

They began to comb the area as quickly as they could safely manage. Alan had no idea how deep they were or how long the cavern stretched on for, but he knew John was still working on the scans so he focussed on the task at hand. 

A gnarled old tree caught his attention in the middle of the water, having clearly been carried by the current before getting itself lodged in the riverbed. It gave Alan some hope. There had to be a decent sized opening upstream for something that size to end up in here.

“Alan!”

The young Tracy turned and quickly headed towards Ray, seeing the man shining his light into the water up ahead. Alan was quick to join him and focussed Virgil’s torch on the point Ray’s weaker light was indicating.

A breath left his lungs. “The exosuit!” 

The green and yellow was unmistakable in the murky water, with the claw just protruding from the surface. It was bashed up a bit but looked to be intact as it lay splayed out in about two feet of water.

And it was empty. Virgil was not trapped inside it.

Alan felt his heart rate pick up. He knew the exosuit was a tight fit, precisely measured and carefully constructed so it fit like a glove to Virgil’s broad shoulders and bulked arms. It wouldn’t just slip off easily, which left two possibilities.

Either Virgil had been violently ripped from the suit at some point while in the river and may be nowhere near it, or maybe, _just maybe_ , he might have ended up here and freed himself from it to find higher ground.

That idea was far more preferable and Alan clung to it as he turned the torch away and looked around. “Virgil?” he called, desperate and hopeful. “Virgil, are you here?”

No response. The light hit solid rock and Alan flicked it around, searching for any other signs now that they finally had something. His brother had to be here. He just had to be! 

“There’s a water level mark here,” Ray called, pointing along the wide slope of stones from the tunnel. The two of them were standing below it so the water had to be dropping fairly fast again considering the mark hadn’t dried yet, but Alan was more interested in all the loose rocks.

“This is too much debris for one tunnel exit,” he mused, and scrambled further up the bank. “Look for another opening. If he ended up here he probably moved to one to get away from the water.”

Alan had no proof but he clung to that belief. His heart was starting to pound. 

As Ray moved one way Alan went the other, heading further upstream and continuing his now frenzied search. The gradient of the bank eased off a little but was still there, with more silt and mud mixed in with the gravel sized stones and larger rocks.

The torch passed over it all as he continued on, tired blue eyes searching desperately for any trace of his brother above the water line. When the light hit an area up ahead where there were noticeable dips and indentations deep enough to create shadows on the ground Alan moved to investigate.

Could it be? Drag marks? Yes. Yes, that’s exactly what they were! He could clearly see grooves that would be consistent with a person lying on the ground and pulling themselves up the bank. A person, not an animal. There was even a faint handprint that hadn’t been disturbed.

Oh God, please. Please let it be so.

Alan shone the torch higher, following the trail, and spotted another tunnel. It was smaller than the one he and Ray had come from, but undeniably there. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up on end. His whole body started to shake with adrenaline. 

“Ray, over here!”

Alan scrambled up towards the opening, nearly slipping as the sand and stones moved under his feet, and used his hands to clamber the last few feet to the top. He caught the edge of the tunnel floor with one hand and raised the torch, flooding the opening with light.

Blue and green leapt out at him. A filthy uniform and tattered baldric. A head of dark hair covered in drying mud facing away from him. Faint, wheezing breaths and a gently moving chest.

Alan let out a cry.

“Virgil!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Going to crawl into bed now. 2:59am here. Hope you enjoy.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope this is okay. Finished it in a bit of a rush - wanted to get this chapter uploaded today before I head out for chips lol. Also Gordon hasn't featured much up until now so you get a bit of him here, and more in the next chapter.

Alan hopped up into the mouth of the tunnel and carefully stepped round his brother’s prone form so he could kneel beside him and get a look at his face. He’d found him. He’d actually found him. Virgil was alive.

Alan’s eyes burned and only his visor stopped him from rubbing at them.

_ Thank you. _

“John, we’ve found him! Repeat, we’ve found him.” Alan’s voice was thick and shaky as he rested his hand gently over Virgil’s chest, feeling the weak yet beautiful rise and fall of every shallow breath his brother took. “He’s alive.”

_ “I’m sending your exact location to Scott and Gordon now.” _ John’s voice was strong and determined.  _ “What’s his condition?” _

“Assessing. Stand by.” 

Alan slid the pack off his back and set it down so he could retrieve his scanner. He bumped Virgil’s discarded helmet in the process, briefly noticing the very dull glow coming from the light to the side of the damaged visor. The batteries were dying now, but Alan took some comfort in knowing his brother hadn’t been blanketed in total darkness all this time.

Ray reached the tunnel then and climbed in, and Alan heard what could only be described as a relieved whimper leave the man. “Oh my God, Virgil.” He sounded like he was nearly in tears as he knelt at Virgil’s opposite side.

Alan passed him the spare torches he’d brought. “Set these up, please. We need all the light we can get.”

Virgil’s shoulder torch was quite harsh in the darkness, but Alan quickly realised it wasn’t just the white light that was making his brother look so pale. Virgil’s right leg was elevated on a rock and his thigh was wrapped tightly in blood soaked bandages. 

He’d obviously been lucid enough to perform some basic first aid once he’d dragged himself into the tunnel. Alan silently thanked the incredible strength and resilience he knew his big brother possessed, but he’d clearly lost a significant amount of blood.

They had to get him stabilised and evacuated as quickly as possible.

As Ray took on responsibility for the additional lights Alan let his training kick in - something that now came instinctively from years of experience despite his young age. 

He turned the med scanner on with a click and started running possible treatments through his head, most of which had been taught to him by Virgil himself. The blue beam brushed up and down his brother’s body, sending its results to Alan and John simultaneously. 

Broken bones, fractures, multiple contusions, erratic pulse, cool but clammy skin, low body temperature, suspected concussion. The list seemed to go on and on.

And his leg. Oh, God, his leg. Alan was almost too scared to run the scanner over it for fear of what he might find. He did of course, and tried not to focus on the fact that it was his brother’s results he was currently studying. Virgil looked to have been impaled by something, and there were still fragments and splinters caught within his torn flesh. The risk of infection was high.

Alan squashed down the guilt and blame before it could come rolling in and distract him. He needed a clear head right now.

“I’m here, Virgil,” he said gently. “I don’t know if you can hear me, but Ray and I have found you. Scott and Gordon are on their way and John is watching over everything. Just hold on for us a little bit longer.”

Virgil gave no response. Alan downed the scanner and reached for some cutters which made quick work of Virgil’s baldric. He pulled the zip of his uniform down next and then cut the fabric away at Virgil’s waist to open it fully, but hesitated at touching the inner layer. 

Alan was nervous about disturbing the broken ribs, but with the heavier uniform now loosened off some of the pressure had been removed from Virgil’s chest and hopefully he’d find breathing a little less constricted. It was a start. Next Alan unfolded a shock blanket and delicately draped it over his brother in an attempt to trap some warmth, tucking it in gingerly at his sides when Virgil shivered weakly.

Shivering was a good sign. It meant his brother’s body was still fighting to generate some warmth. In situations like this where hypothermia was a serious concern, shivering was definitely better than stillness. But it was terribly weak. There was no time to waste. 

Next Alan turned to tend to that leg. His own hands remained steady even as his insides quaked with nervous fear.

As he worked he saw Ray move round out the corner of his eye so he could see Virgil’s face. A glance at the man and Alan watched him brush his gloved fingers gently through Virgil’s hair.

“It’ll be okay, love,” Ray murmured. “You’re safe now.”

Feeling like he was intruding on a private moment between the couple, even if Virgil wasn’t conscious, Alan pulled out a fresh roll of bandages and started to wrap a new layer around his brother’s injury.

\---

With the news that Virgil had been found alive all rescue teams dropped what they were doing and converged on the area. Thunderbird Five’s ground penetrating radar had finally mapped out the entire network of tunnels and the adjoining cavern that up until now had remained hidden from everyone.

The opening to the subterranean river where the flood waters had taken Virgil was almost completely hidden by a low hanging rock formation that had been impossible to see from the air, and because the water only flowed into it when the floods were at their highest, the area had been completely missed as searches had continued further down the main path of the river.

Thunderbirds One and Two were on site within minutes of John giving them the call, and both craft hung in the air like guardians to the entrance as their pilots prepared for the rescue. Scott jet packed down as soon as John had control of One, while Gordon went down to Two’s module to prepare a rescue pod.

“What’s the situation, Scott?” Gordon spoke into his comms. “Is there clearance for a hover pod?”

_ “Negative. The ceiling is too low. The only way you’re getting in through here is by walking.” _

“F.A.B.” Gordon’s hands flew over the holographic options expertly as he selected the best setup they had for such difficult terrain. GDF fliers were now in the process of dropping bags of sand and rocks further upstream to redirect the water away from the cavern, but Gordon wasn’t taking any chances.

The six legged mountain pod was quickly assembled, with extra winches and some emergency airbags added. As soon as the hover stretcher and trauma kits were secured at the back Gordon climbed into the driver’s seat.

_ “Gordon, status?” _

“Just heading in now, John,” the aquanaut replied. “What’s Virgil’s condition?”

_ “Alan is still attempting to stabilise him. He’s lost a lot of blood and is currently unresponsive but breathing.” _

Gordon kicked the speed enhancer into high gear and the pod started scuttling along like a giant ant into the tunnel. Up ahead he saw the glow of Scott’s jetpack just beyond the reach of his lights, and did his best to keep up. The three feet of water sloshed around the pod’s legs as it powered through, swirling up mud and silt that had just started to settle.

Maybe it was the darkness or circumstances surrounding Virgil’s accident, but Gordon had never felt so unsettled around water before. Something about this place just had him on edge. Cold and menacing.

He rounded a jagged corner of rock and spotted Ray standing on an uneven bank waving a torch. Scott reached him first and Gordon watched the glow of his jetpack die as his brother landed. Within seconds Gordon was with them and the pod’s canopy swung open.

“Hurry.” Ray sounded terrified. “Alan can’t stop the bleeding.”

The urge to run straight to his wounded brother pulled at Gordon’s instincts as Scott did exactly that, but Gordon knew he couldn’t enter that tunnel empty handed. Each second was precious now and he couldn’t be ruled by emotion.

He moved to the back of the pod to retrieve the hover stretcher and medical supplies. A tap at his comms. “Cut his uniform open. I need access to one of his arms for an IV. We get that and a tourniquet and then we move him.” Gordon’s words were clear and precise. It had been a while since his commanding tone he’d developed with WASP had been used. 

_ “F.A.B.” _ Scott and Alan in perfect unison. Gordon was definitely in charge of this one.

The scrunch of boots came up behind him and then Ray appeared, helping to load one of the medical bags onto the hover stretcher. Gordon gave him a nod of thanks and deactivated the mag clamps holding it in place. The stretcher eased away from the pod and the two men pushed it up towards the tunnel.

It was time to get Virgil out of there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big hugs to everyone who reads and reviews.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took longer than expected because or RL stuff and also research. I hope it makes some sense.

It was the prick of something pushing into his skin that roused him first. Small, cold and sharp. Nerve endings that had previously been quiet in that area suddenly flared up and tried to shout above all the others that were screaming within his body. 

That pain died down just as quickly and Virgil was distracted when his eyes cracked open and he could actually see light for a change. Bright light, unforgiving on his sensitive eyes. Shadows too. Long dark shadows that moved like ghosts across the tunnel walls.

And voices. Different voices. Familiar ones. But their words were muffled and their owners obscured. Virgil tried to search for them but he was so very tired.

Someone was touching his hair. He couldn’t see who, but it felt nice. It gave him something to focus on besides all the pain. His body felt as cold and heavy as the stone floor he lay upon. Everything was weak.

A figure finally moved into his narrow field of vision and stayed there, blue and yellow in colour.

Gordon? 

So he wasn’t imagining it. His brothers really were there for him. They’d found him, at long last.

How long had he been waiting?

Faint words drew him away from his thoughts. Gordon was speaking, but his voice was very hard to hear. Virgil felt like his head was in a bubble, or underwater. That wasn’t right… Gordon was the one always in the water, not him.

But water was bad right now. Water meant pain and possible death. Water had tried to kill him. Stolen him away and left him in this dreadful place.

He wanted to cry out and escape. Unfortunately the energy required to do so was non-existent. All he could do was rely on his brothers and hope they got him out soon. Virgil couldn’t bear to be stuck in this horrid place a moment longer.

Gordon disappeared and was replaced with another blurry form, this one dressed in a green suit that definitely wasn’t one of his brothers. Some of the dried mud on Virgil’s face cracked as he frowned, confused by this new person.

Green was his colour. He was the one who flew the big green bird, so of course he had to match her brilliance.

Who was this person with his brothers and at his side, wearing his colour? Well, not quite his colour. It was closer to seafoam - not the rich emerald of Thunderbird Two. Still green though.

Further down his battered body someone disturbed his leg, and this time Virgil did find the strength to groan in pain as his eyes scrunched shut. With that pain came a brief moment of clarity as the bubble muffling his hearing lifted.

“You’re okay, Virgil. Just relax.” Gordon’s voice. “Ray, hold that line higher.”

Virgil’s eyes opened again. Ray? Ray was here too? Was he the figure clad in green? Virgil wanted to believe it was him. He longed to see the olive green of those eyes belonging to the man he’d fallen in love with. How many times had he wondered if his skills were enough to capture their brilliance in a painting whenever his partner looked his way and smiled? 

Ray had such pretty eyes. 

His leg burned. A weak whimper, such a pathetic sound with no strength, managed to push its way through his vocal cords. 

“Easy, Virgil. We’re getting ready to move you.” This time the voice that spoke to him was deeper. Scott. Virgil’s eyes searched but could not see his big brother. He felt a hand squeeze his shoulder ever so gently on his other side. That had to be Scott. 

The cold that clung to him sapped what little strength Virgil had as the movement all around him continued. Still the shadows danced, light occasionally blinded him and voices echoed off the tunnel walls.

Virgil felt himself starting to drift again.

So tired…

“Get ready with that rescue board, Alan.” Gordon again. Virgil tried so hard to listen for a response but heard nothing.

Alan. His little brother. Was he okay? Alan wasn’t normally one for being quiet. Even on rescues he often chattered away to help put casualties at ease. So why wasn’t he saying anything now? Virgil desperately wanted to check on him.

Allie?

Gordon’s voice came again. “Okay, we move him on three.” Scuffles of activity all around. Hands pushed carefully under him. “One. Two. Three!”

Pain and movement overwhelmed him. His body shifted without his doing. The rock floor beneath him vanished and was replaced by a perfectly flat surface. It hurt, but the change was welcomed. A moment to recover and then he felt himself being lifted, board and all, and the ceiling started to slide past above him.

Virgil closed his eyes and whimpered. 

Finally he was getting out.

~*~

Thunderbird Two roared as Alan throttled her up to maximum, all that power and speed vibrating gently through her fuselage and surrounding them as Gordon worked. They had Virgil’s stretcher locked in and his readings blipping across a holographic screen, declaring in an alarming red just how bad his condition was.

The trip back with the pod had been fairly quick, but it had felt like an eternity as they’d tried to keep Virgil awake. As soon as they’d reached the module Alan had darted off under instruction from Scott to the cockpit. It was up to Alan’s flying and the capabilities of Virgil’s ship to get them to the nearest hospital as fast as possible. 

John was clearing their flightpath of traffic so the green ship could head off at top speed unhindered. 

Gordon’s medical training, assisted by Scott and Ray, would hopefully be enough to keep Virgil with them until they arrived.

“Hang in there, bro. We’re almost there.”

Virgil’s eyes had cracked open again after take off, so Gordon had been talking to him almost nonstop in the hopes that his brother could understand him. Virgil had been given some pain relief and put on an IV while still in the tunnel, but Gordon was hesitant to give him anything else. He was well trained but only as a first responder medic, and didn’t want to risk causing any complications if the doctors had to administer further medication to Virgil upon their arrival.

God, he was in such a mess.

His brother’s normally warm brown eyes stared blankly at the ceiling of the module in a half-lidded gaze, dull and weary. He was white as a sheet beneath the dirt and grime on his face, with dark smudges of fatigue under his eyes.

Gordon tried not to let that blank stare get to him, even as he felt another cold shiver run down his spine. It was terrifying to think how close they’d come to failing Virgil. He’d held on and held on for so long, but Gordon could see now that a couple of extra hours would have made all the difference in a terrible way. 

A couple of hours and they wouldn’t have got to him in time.

A couple of hours and Virgil would have--

“He’s really clammy.” Those words ripped Gordon from his thoughts just in time to save him from despair. He glanced away from his brother and found Ray at the head of the stretcher, an ungloved hand gently brushing hair from Virgil’s forehead while doing his best to stay out of the way.

Gordon swallowed and nodded. “Blood loss,” he explained. “That and he’s running a fever.” 

He saw Ray’s eyes widen and watched him turn back to Virgil, brushing a thumb against his temple as he brokenly murmured his name. 

Gordon studied his brother’s readings again. He needed to compartmentalise. Take everything one step at a time. Assess and react accordingly.

Virgil had tachycardia, a condition that if left untreated could put serious strain on his heart. His broken ribs were an ongoing concern but for now his breathing was clear - Gordon had put him on oxygen as soon as they’d arrived in the module. Clean top layers of bandages had been applied to his leg but the aquanaut dared not touch the lower ones in case he disturbed the wound further. 

Virgil’s blood pressure was still creeping lower. His heart rate continued to climb.

Gordon touched his comms. “Alan, what’s our ETA?”

_ “Just over four minutes,” _ Alan replied quickly.  _ “John has the hospital notified and they’re ready and waiting.” _

Four minutes was a long time for someone in Virgil’s condition.

This wasn’t a training scenario where they could start over if things went bad. It was actually happening. Four minutes could mean the difference between life and death.

Gordon made his decision and turned to Scott. “Get ready. We’re doing a transfusion.”

Scott’s eyes were like a storm at sea, dark with a ferocity Gordon had only seen a handful of times when they’d had their worst days. But within that storm there was a strange sense of calm, and he took some strength from his older brother’s unwavering faith in him when Scott gave a single nod and moved into action.

“A transfusion?” Ray sounded nervous as Gordon started to prepare Virgil. “You can do that?”

“For each other, yes. We always carry blood bags onboard for situations just like this.” Gordon drew in a breath to calm his own rapidly beating heart. “But this will be the first time I’ve actually had to do it for real.”

Stay calm. They could do this. They all had the training and they just had to trust it and go through the motions they’d practiced hundreds of times. This was why they carried blood. Why they had a rotation to donate it every month and ensure they had a fresh supply just in case the unthinkable happened. Them all having the same blood type certainly came in handy for that.

The sooner they got more blood into Virgil’s system, the better his chances would be.

Scott appeared with a bag from the storage bank. Gordon took it, leaving him to organise the tubing, and studied the time code on the back. So Alan had been the last one to donate, huh… That was almost poetic, considering his little brother had been blaming himself this whole time for what had happened.

Gordon’s brain flicked back into full medical mode and he let his training carry him through the procedure. “Virgil, we’re giving you a transfusion. Everything’s going to be okay.” A glance at his big brother’s pale and dirty face. “You’re in good hands, I promise.”

Virgil blinked slowly and swallowed. “Where’s...Alan?” His voice was weak and listless, his expression blank as he seemed to turn even paler.

“He’s flying us to the nearest hospital,” Gordon explained. “You’ll see him soon, bro. Now just breathe nice and easy for me.”

Virgil didn’t reply. Didn’t even blink. The ECG monitor he was hooked up to jumped up in pitch as it measured the rapid beating of his heart and started to put out an alarm.

“Virgil?” Scott hovered by the stand now holding the blood and saline, reaching out as Ray stepped back and placed his hands over his nose and mouth.

Gordon grabbed a torch and shone it in Virgil’s eyes, checking the response of his pupils, then looked to his brother’s blood pressure which was now dangerously low.

Shit!

“He’s going into hypovolemic shock.” Gordon reached for emergency medication from the trauma kit, fingers deftly adding it to the IV line. “Come on, Virg, stay with us.”

“Alan, step on it,” Scott commanded into comms. “We’re losing him.”

Gordon’s heart fell into his stomach.

Don’t do this, Virgil. Please, don’t do this!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and reviews are always greatly appreciated. I hope this made some sense, and apologies if I got anything extremely wrong from the medical standpoint. I am a first aider myself with years of experience, but I am no doctor. I'll openly admit I fluffed some of this and referred to internet research quite a bit.
> 
> If I got stuff wrong hopefully it doesn't detract from the story too much. Next chapter coming soon. Hugs to all.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Longer chapter again. I never intended for this fic to be this long, but it's grown arms and legs and carried me away with it. Hope I didn't break any characters with this.

Hospitals really were horrible places. Stark white walls. Dull grey floors. Skirting boards always scarred with scuff marks from the countless trolleys that were pushed back and forth on a daily basis. 

There was no escaping the sounds of constant activity, with staff and patients coming and going with purpose like bees in a hive. The air was tainted with the undertones of cleaning chemicals, and the only bright colours were the sparse generic prints on the walls and the signs hung above every doorway with the hopes of giving the lost some direction.

Scott always found hospitals suffocating. The people who worked within them were amazing, but the actual buildings always had a sense of foreboding.

His line of work saw him visiting them across the globe on a fairly regular basis, to drop people off after evacuating them from a danger zone. Professionalism always ruled his mind during those occasions. He was the Commander of International rescue and his duty of care to those he saved didn’t end until they were safely transferred to the highly qualified medical staff.

In those instances Scott was always calm. He stood tall, reassured those who needed it, and saw them off before returning promptly to his ship.

But when the person requiring medical attention was a precious member of his own family then Scott’s calm always cracked and his protective walls failed him. He felt exposed like a gaping wound, vulnerable and afraid when he was no longer allowed to follow the staff as they rushed off with their newest patient and left him stranded behind a set of heavy double doors.

The flight over had been terrifying. Virgil’s life seemed to hang by a thread as his heart struggled to pump whatever blood he had left around all his major organs and provide them with the oxygen they needed to function and survive.

Gordon had been the tether keeping him with them for as long as he could. Alan had pushed Thunderbird Two to the max and brought her to a hover directly over the landing pad on the roof so Virgil could be evacuated as quickly as possible. 

They’d made it. After days of stress and fear and searching they’d finally found Virgil and got him out of that hellhole, only to then nearly lose him right under their palms as he’d started to succumb to his injuries.

Now all they could do was wait. Stand in this long, haunting corridor where they were no longer in control and pray for good news.

Scott’s stomach churned and his chest felt tight. A headache brought on by stress pounded inside his skull but he barely acknowledged it.

Virgil. His brother. His best friend.

He couldn’t lose him.

Scott remembered standing in a hallway just like this one when he was only fourteen. It wasn’t a memory he liked to recall but it always crept up in situations like this.

He’d held little Alan in his arms, had Virgil to his right who’d been holding Gordon’s hand and keeping his other on John’s shoulder. All of them had been frozen in place as they’d stared at the doors their father had passed through, with only the three eldest having any real comprehension of what had just happened. How their world had been ripped apart and would never be the same again.

No more evenings gathered round the fireplace listening to Grandpa’s amazing stories. No more warm hugs, forehead kisses or comforting words from Mom. No more happy days with his family complete and all around him. He had taken those precious years for granted right up until that moment when his perfect life had shattered and nearly cut them all to ribbons.

Scott remembered how cold he’d felt. Cold as the snow that had stolen his loved ones away. How helpless and insignificant he’d been against the forces of nature.

And now here he was all over again. A different hospital, but it looked eerily similar to the one in his darkest memories. Gordon was at his side, and after an unknown amount of time that escaped his notice Alan and John had appeared.

His precious family. His brothers. Only now five had become four standing waiting for news, gathered together like chess pieces with one key player missing.

Virgil should be with them, at Scott’s right shoulder like he’d always been. Not torn away by a cruel twist of fate that threatened he might never return to them. They had always been five, through all the hardships they’d endured.

Without Virgil they might as well have been nothing. An incomplete set.

Was it really happening again? Hadn’t they lost enough already, and given so much back to the world? Wasn’t sacrificing countless potential futures for a life dedicated to helping others not enough to safeguard them from yet another tragedy?

Grandpa. Mom… Dad.

Scott couldn’t go through this again. Please, no! 

He’d seen the nurse squeezing the bag above Virgil’s mask, helping his brother to breathe. Noticed another with the heel of their hand pressing down over his sternum, trying to encourage his heart not to give up.

Fight, Virgil! Don’t leave. Stay.

Scott’s head buzzed with all the white noise of panic and terror warring inside him.

_ Please, not him! Take me instead! Not him! _

\---

John had had a car ready and waiting at the GDF base when the space elevator completed reentry. By the time he was down Alan had landed Thunderbird Two and together the brothers climbed into the car and made the short trip to the hospital.

Now they were reunited, but there had been no words of greeting, no encouragement and no hopeful glances exchanged between them. Scott hadn’t moved a muscle and John found himself growing even more concerned when he saw just how pale the eldest was.

Scott looked like a ghost. White as a sheet with heavy bags under his eyes. 

None of them were in peak condition right now, to be honest. Prolonged stress, sleep deprivation and probably not enough to eat had them all looking worn down. EOS had been quick to point that out to John before he’d left Thunderbird Five, but the space monitor could tell with just a glance that he was fairing the best.

Alan was absolutely covered in mud. Gordon’s gloves were smeared with blood and he and Scott both had mud all over their knees from the tunnel. The normally impeccable uniforms of International Rescue spoke volumes about their organisation’s current state - rescue weary and in desperate need of a rest break. 

It was moments like these where John felt like he should have done more, but as always the physical distance had been too great. He’d been of more use up on Thunderbird Five, monitoring the situation and coordinating the search and rescue effort. 

It was his job while his brothers worked on the ground. That was his responsibility. 

Only during times like this did John actively resent his position, but he couldn’t focus on that right now.

Turning away from the double doors that were keeping them from going after Virgil and his entourage of medical staff, John faced the one member of their group who seemed to have been overlooked during all the panic and rush.

A few feet back, lingering at the edge of their little family unit, was Ray. Also muddy, looking just as exhausted as the rest of them, and equally distraught. John took pity on him and approached.

“Ray?”

Those olive green eyes shot up and stared at him, windows to a terrified soul.

Physical contact was known to have a calming and comforting effect when used correctly in situations like this, and while John had never been overly fond of it himself, he could recognise when another needed it. It was this observation that had him reach out and place a hand on Ray’s shoulder, and after a few seconds it seemed to prompt the shorter man to speak.

“I wish I could have done more.” His voice was small and weak.

John understood those words all too well. 

“You were there to assist Alan,” he reminded Ray. “You kept Virgil calm. You did help.”

It was up to Ray whether or not he believed him, but John felt it was important. It was the truth after all. Ray had neither their training nor their experience to fall back on and help him process what was happening, and yet he’d been amazing and kept a level head throughout the rescue. A few words of encouragement now would not go amiss.

Still, it was upsetting for John to see his brother’s partner looking so lost and scared. Assuming Virgil pulled through - John refused to believe he wouldn’t - this situation would either make or break his brother’s relationship.

To love a Tracy meant to accept the risk of losing them to the job they’d dedicated their lives to, on a daily basis. There were no guarantees. An accident could happen at any time. Death was always just around the corner, never seen but ever present.

Not everyone had the strength to cope with such uncertainty.

Ray drew in a slow breath and levelled his shoulders a little. “What happens now?” he asked quietly. “Should I stay here and wait?” His eyes flashed with uncertainty. “I mean, I’m not family or anything.”

John’s hand gave a light squeeze before releasing him. “You pretty much are at this point, and I think Virgil would like it if you stayed.” A pause. “That is, unless you don’t want to?”

Ray shook his head quickly. “No, I’m staying. I mean, I’d like to. Please?”

A small smile and a nod from John. Like he’d ever have said no anyway. “All right then.” He tapped his comms. “EOS, have Grandma and Kayo left the island yet?”

_ “Affirmative, John,” _ The AI responded immediately.  _ “They departed twelve minutes ago and are enroute to you now. I’ve sent their flight path to your wrist controller.” _

Sure enough, the screen on John’s left wrist lit up and the tiny white icon of Tracy One indicated that Kayo and his Grandma were inbound. 

“Thank you, EOS.”

“Scott, stop it.”

John turned at hearing Gordon’s voice and saw the aquanaut moving to stand directly in front of their eldest brother as Scott started for the double doors.

“Out the way.”

“You can’t go through there.”

Scott tried to shove Gordon to the side as Alan grabbed his other arm. John moved, mourning the loss of zero gravity that normally allowed him to move so quickly and easily, and put himself between the doors and his big brother.

Their eyes locked and John felt a flash of shock at what he saw. Scott’s eyes were wide and panicked, while his arms moved in a constant frenzy as he attempted to peel Gordon and Alan’s hands off him. His breathing was suddenly all wrong too. Short and shallow as more colour left his face.

John’s hands caught his shoulders and held him in place. “Scott, take a breath. You’re not thinking clearly.”

“I have to get to Virgil.” Scott was still struggling. “He needs me.”

“He’s in the best place right now surrounded by people who can help him.” John could only hope his words would get through the rising panic. “All we can do now is wait.”

“No. No, I have to follow. Every time I wait something bad happens.”

John frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“Dad.” That one word had Alan and Gordon freeze up, and Scott didn’t miss the opportunity to shrug them off. “And Mom and Grandpa.”

“What?” John’s arms strained a little as Scott pushed forward against him. The look on his brother’s face was one of fear and desperation. “You’re not making any sense.”

“I never followed them and then we lost them.” Scott’s voice was suddenly raw. “Mom and Grandpa. And if I’d boarded the Zero-X with Dad maybe I could have got him out in time. But I didn’t! I waited and then he was gone!”

Their mother and grandfather had both been killed instantly in the avalanche during the family’s skiing holiday back in 2048. By the time the brothers had learned of the accident the bodies of Grant and Lucille Tracy had already been recovered and transferred to the nearest hospital for formal identification at the mortuary. 

In his exhausted and highly distressed state Scott was mixing up the details. There was nothing he could have done even if he had followed their dad through those double doors all those years ago. Mom and Grandpa had already been lost.

As for their dad, he had ordered Scott to stay clear while he’d gone on to board the Zero-X alone. It had been his decision, most likely because he’d known the danger involved and didn’t want to put one of his sons at risk.

And now here Scott was, faced with the possibility of losing another family member, and on the verge of having a complete mental breakdown.

John felt like kicking himself. With everything that had happened he’d forgotten that Scott had been put on forced leave due to exhaustion. He suspected they’d all forgotten. But now it became apparent that that single night off to get some sleep had done little to help their big brother recover. 

Scott had been running on fear and adrenaline ever since, under constant pressure to keep the mission going and find Virgil while once again neglecting his own failing health.

John shook him gently. “Get a grip, Scott. Breathe.”

“But Virgil--”

“He’ll be okay,” John insisted, clutching at that hope and his brother’s shoulders for all he was worth.

“What if he isn’t?” Scott’s voice cracked. His breathing was all over the place. “What if I failed again? What if...” A solitary tear ran down Scott’s left cheek and the sight of it turned John’s insides cold.

His big brother was falling apart right before his eyes. How could they have let this happen?

“Virgil isn’t going to die, Scott.” Please, please, listen. “He’ll pull through.”

He had to. He just had to.

With Gordon and Alan once again holding on to Scott at either side the eldest bowed his head and let it drop to John’s shoulder. The action caught the middle brother by surprise, only for it to quickly morph into alarm when that moment of weakness turned into a full body slump.

Scrabbling to get a hold of the sudden dead weight leaning into him, John shoved his arms under Scott’s, and with Gordon and Alan’s help, lowered the now unconscious man to the floor as gently as they could manage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big hugs to all my readers/reviewers. Hope you're all keeping safe and well still in these difficult times.


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